The Rock Boat XXVI: Walk The Moon and Switchfoot sail out of PortMiami in February

Sister Hazel's long-running floating festival leaves Miami Feb. 2–7, 2027, for Key West and Cozumel, with Walk The Moon on top and a deep bench of pop-rock and new-talent picks.

Most Miami concert nights end with a rideshare home. This one ends five days later, sunburned, somewhere off Cozumel.

The Rock Boat XXVI sails Tuesday, February 2 through Sunday, February 7, 2027, departing from PortMiami, with stops in Key West and Cozumel, Mexico, according to the festival's own site. Walk The Moon headlines. Sister Hazel is also on the bill. Cabins are booked through organizer Sixthman's booking page.

Our listing has 13 acts on the boat, and the top of it reads like a well-worn summer playlist: Switchfoot, American Authors, Barns Courtney, The Strumbellas and Red Wanting Blue, with The Paradox, Bombargo, Hero The Band, Kristy Lee and Lovesweat filling out the deck. Sixthman's booking pages list more names beyond that, among them Better Than Ezra, The 502s, Mother Road Sons, Tobacco Road, Brother Elsey and Shut Up & Dance, so the roster is still growing as sailing gets closer.

That growth is part of the format. The Rock Boat runs a Soundcheck program in which booked cruisers vote among a shortlist of up-and-coming acts for a final slot, and Sixthman's booking page tags several artists as new talent. If you go, that's the part worth leaning into. Walk The Moon and Switchfoot are the reason most people book. The band you end up following around the ship for five days is usually someone you hadn't heard of at embarkation.

The band you end up following around the ship is usually someone you hadn't heard of at embarkation.

What to plan around: Walk The Moon's sets are the obvious centrepiece, and Switchfoot are the bill's other big draw. The Strumbellas and Barns Courtney bring the big, shout-along choruses; Red Wanting Blue is the pick for anyone who likes their rock with some Midwestern grit. The schedule page is where set times will land once Sixthman posts them.

One housekeeping note. Listings for this sailing don't all agree on the ship: one names the Norwegian Jewel, another the Norwegian Pearl. The Rock Boat's own pages set the route from Miami, and that's the source to trust; check the booking page for the vessel before you pack.

For Miami, the appeal is simple. Most of the country flies in for this, books a hotel near Biscayne Bay and hopes the airline cooperates. Locals get to treat it like a show across town, with a five-night encore. Early February, the bay at sailaway, and a ship full of people who already know the words. Not a bad way to start the year.

The Rock Boat XXVI: Tue, Feb 2 – Sun, Feb 7, 2027, from PortMiami. Book via Sixthman.

Sources: The Rock Boat — Ports (therockboat.com); The Rock Boat — Schedule (therockboat.com); The Rock Boat — Soundcheck (therockboat.com); The Rock Boat — About Sixthman (therockboat.com); Sixthman — The Rock Boat booking (Feb 2–7, 2027) (sixthman.net); Wikimedia Commons — Category:PortMiami (commons.wikimedia.org)