The Buzz

Labor Day Bash and chili cookoffs

Party it up in Wahiawa this Labor Day weekend during a huge Labor Day Bash hosted by Kemoo Farm. The Lakeside Lanai and The Pub will host 12 hours of live bands beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday. Check out the sounds of El Conjunto Tropical, Bikers Blues, Guy Cruz, Melodious Solutions, Pimpbot, Hellbound Hounds, White Lines and Go Jimmy Go, above, as they rock the joint. There'll be live radio with stations 105.9 The Big Kahuna and 97.5 KPOI, giveaways and more fun. Don't forget about the 4th annual Chili Cookoff either.

Tickets are $10, for 21 and older. 621-1835, 622-5009.

Speaking of chili, the public is invited to be part of the Kaka'ako Kitchen's Chili Recipe Challenge, a cookoff between 15 finalists, 6-7:30 p.m. Sunday. A $10 ticket allows sampling of all 15 chili creations, two Heineken draft beers and a vote in the People's Choice category. A portion of the proceeds will go toward prevention of child abuse in Hawai'i. 596-7488.

Starry benefit

Showtimes are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Admission is free with a ticket. Reservations: 923-5973.

A taste of Okinawa at Kapi'olani Park

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The celebration starts off with the International Uchinanchu Parade, from Fort DeRussy, continuing along Kalakaua Avenue and ending at Kapi'olani Park. There, Okinawan entertainers, music, food booths and a craft gallery will keep things going. The Hawaii Bonsai Association's annual show will have 35 trees on display, demonstrations and a silent auction. Saturday's highlight will be a bon dance at 7 p.m. On Sunday, there's entertainment by Jake and Bruce Shimabukuro and one-time "American Idol" contestant Jordan Segundo.

Free parking for the festival is at Kapi'olani Community College, with free bus shuttles 7 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sunday. Festival hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.

In conjunction with the festival, the first worldwide Uchinanchu Conference presents "Eisa Matsuri," an Okinawan drum festival, 6-9 p.m. Tuesday at the Les Murakami Stadium on the University of Hawai'i-Manoa campus. Rinken Band, a contemporary group from Japan, will be featured at the finale. Admission is free.

676-5400, www.uchinanchu.com.

Fun for the family in Lanikai

It's time for family fun on the Windward side this weekend during the Lanikai Children's Theater Festival. Head for Lanikai Park and Pavilion Saturday and Sunday for pony rides, a rock climb, a bouncer, face painting and food concessions from 2 to 5 p.m. Admission is free with separate costs for the activities and food.

After the festival, at 5 p.m., will be a performance of the plays "The Dancing Princesses" and "The Laughing Princess." The first tells the story of a king who has to solve the mystery of his daughters' worn-out slippers. The second is about a princess whose unstoppable laughing condition sends a kingdom on a search for answers. Admission is $5.

All proceeds go to the neighborhood's fund drive to build a new playground. The drive is currently halfway toward its goal of $60,000 for the renovations.

263-4658.

Last gasp at the Maze

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Wander the labyrinth of three rooms of hip-hop, house and trance tonight, Saturday and Sunday as local DJs spin their sounds and shake the floor. In the house tonight will be IKON, Scottie Soul, NiteLite, Richard Wong, Dreamer, Billy G. PSI, CJ, Drift, Daniel J, Shih, NT'M'X, Matt Grim, Ely, Haboh and Tez shake it up tomorrow. Party on from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. each night, for 18 and older. Cover is $15 for 18-to-20-year-old males and $10 for 21 and older and 18-to-20-year-old females.

921-5800.

A 'Fresh' party at Mist

Bounce into action during the Fresh Labor Day weekend party Sunday, themed "The Beach Ball." Promoter Big Tom said Club Mist's two rooms will be a mass of lasers, black lights, monster sound, free glow sticks and go-go persons in Speedos and boardshorts with beach balls and colorful floats. Show off your tan with free bottles of Maui Babe Browning Lotion. Or check out the dollar-a-minute massage in the chill room. San Francisco DJ Rob Kaftan, above, brings his dance sounds to the mix. Don't miss the "Welcome Back Party" for Kaftan and his partner the night before, Saturday, at Tryst. Meet the boys from the Bay Area from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m.

Hosted by BigTomPresents, the The Beach Ball party kicks up the sand from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., for 18 and older. Cover is $15 at the door or $10 before 11 p.m. Admission for 18-to-20-year-olds is $10 all night.

955-4852.

A diverse sample of lion dances

Brigham Young University-Hawai'i kicks off its 2003-2004 Performance Series Thursday with a dazzling show of lion dances and drumming from Asia and Africa. The multicultural production combines eight vivid Chinese lions with their drum and cymbal musicians; the white-haired version used in Japanese noh and kabuki theater with Japanese taiko drummers; a family of Okinawan lions with the Okinawan Eisa drummers; and the Senegalese lion from West Africa with traditional drummers.

Presented by Aiwana Artists and Education Coordination, the show begins at 7:30 p.m. in the BYUH Cannon Activities Center. Admission is $8 general, $7 seniors and military, $6 BYUH faculty, $2 children, and 50 cents for BYUH students. Also, one child may enter for free with two paying adults.

For performance information, call 524-8416. For tickets or directions, call 293-3577.

It's really big movie time at Waikiki again

Two crowd-pleasing movies will be featured on the 30-foot screen at this weekend's "Sunset on the Beach" events at Queen's Surf Beach in Waikiki. Saturday's movie is the comedy "Bringing Down the House," with Steve Martin, above, as an uptight lawyer and Queen Latifah as an ex-con. Sunday's feature is the musical "Chicago," starring Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones as murderesses in the flapper era, Richard Gere as a slick lawyer and Latifah as the scene-stealing warden. "Chicago" was nominated for 13 Oscars; it won six, including best picture and best supporting actress (Zeta-Jones). Admission to "Sunset" is free. It begins at 4 p.m. with food booths and entertainment; the movies hit the screen after the sun goes down (about 7:30 p.m.). Note to home-viewing fans: Both films have recently been released on DVD and video.