Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica and Snow Patrol Headlining Rock in Rio 2011

The Rock in Rio festival routinely blows the minds of over a million music fans, thanks to its usual incredible lineups. In 2011, the festival's fourth stint in Brazil, should be no different. Promoters announced that next year's bill will be headlined by none other than the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica and Snow Patrol. Three other marquee acts will be named soon.

The festival takes place over two long weekends in sunny Rio de Janeiro, with dates Sept. 23-25 and Sept. 30-Oct. 2 booked for 2011. Tickets officially go on sale this Friday, Nov. 19, and tend to sell very quickly considering the epic festival's size.

In a statement, Metallica admitted that it's a bit ridiculous to plan for a show a year out, but the group reasoned that Rio is Rio and they are game no matter what.

"We know it's pretty nutty to announce a show almost a year in advance," the band said. "[It's] certainly not something we've ever done before! However, when we were asked to headline the original Rock in Rio, the one actually in Rio de Janeiro, we just couldn't say 'no.' After playing at other Rock in Rio festivals in Lisbon and Madrid years past, it seemed like it would make for a fun break from whatever we might be doing a year from now."

As for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the storied L.A. group has recently been looking both to the past and future. In October, the band released a book, 'The Red Hot Chili Peppers: An Oral/Visual History,' that examines its wild, drug-fueled early years. Their 10th studio album -- and first with new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer -- is due out sometime in 2011.