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Local favorite Honolulu Festival in March Mark your calendars for the Honolulu Festival, the annual cultural exchange of arts between Japan and Hawai'i, March 14-16. About 4,600 artisans from Japan are expected to take part in displays and performances at various venues, culminating with colorful floats and a grand parade on Kalakaua Avenue from 5 p.m. March 16. It's all free. honolulufestival.com.

Grammy winners Inner Circle and Ky-Mani Marley, left, two of reggae's best, headline Budweiser True Music's Superstars of Reggae Tour 2003, heading this way for three playdates on as many islands.

The playdates:

• O'ahu — Feb. 21, 6:30 p.m., Waikiki Shell. Gates open at 5 p.m. Reserved tickets: $30 pool, $25 first terrace, $23 second terrace; grass seats, $18 ($23 on show day); at the Blaisdell Center box office and Ticket Plus locations. 526-4400, 591-2211.
• Big Island — Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m., Edith Kanaka'ole Stadium, Hilo. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 at the door on show day; at MJS Music and CD Wizard in Hilo, Byrd's Audio in Waimea, Mele Kai Music in Kona. (808) 962-0651.
• Kaua'i — Feb. 23, 5 p.m., Kuku'i Grove Park. Gates open at 4 p.m. Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 at the door on show day; at Big Kmart, Larry's Music, Progressive Expressions, Hanalei Surf Company and Hale Rasta in Hanapepe. (808) 245-9527.

CONCERT: Feb. 22-24

Tiffany, the '80s teen sensation, not the store, will make her Hawai'i concert debut in a three-night stand Feb. 22-24 at Gussie L'Amour's. You know her, surely, for her romantic exclamation, "I Think We're Alone Now," her claim to fame two decades ago. She since has recorded such hits as "All This Time," was featured in the animated movie "The Jetsons" and is on the road again thanks to her "The Color of Silence" CD. Tickets: $15 in advance for three-day pass; $20 on the first date; $12 for two-night pass (Sunday-Monday), $15 on show day.

• 8:30 p.m. Feb. 22-24 / Gussie L'Amour's, 3251 N. Nimitz Hwy. / 836-7883

DINNER SHOW: Feb. 28-March 22

It's "Mardi Gras Follies" time at The Banyans at Pearl Harbor, with the usual parade of songs and dances, mostly performed in glitzy Las Vegas-style revue by a cast of military and civilians, directed by Jack Cione. The show is produced by the Pearl Harbor Performing Arts Association and will be performed on weekends only, preceded by a dinner. $35, includes buffet dinner, show, tax and tip.

• 7:45 p.m. (buffet from 6:30 p.m.) weekends Feb. 28-March 22 / The Banyans at Pearl Harbor / 473-1703

CONCERT: March 5

Peter Askim (double bass) and Robert Pollock (piano) will be featured in an Ebb & Flow Arts-Hawai'i Public Radio recital, March 5 at HPR's Atherton Performing Arts Studio. Askim's award-winning "Eight Solitudes" and Pollock's "Metaphor" will be among the featured works. Tickets: $17.50 general, $15 for members.

• 7:30 p.m. March 5 / Atherton Performing Arts Studio at HPR / 955-8821

STAGE: March 5-23

The buzz at Manoa Valley Theatre is all about "Beehive," a musical revue by Larry Gallagher, premiering March 5. It's that kind of ensemble piece, with nostalgic vibes, that MVT does so well, involving five women wailers, a six-piece band, 50 outrageous period costumes and wigs, and five cans of hairspray a week to keep the beehive 'dos aloft. Well, it ain't "Hairspray," but perhaps a second cousin, with loads of familiar tunes: "My Boyfriend's Back," "Downtown," "Respect." Tickets: $30.

• Premieres at 7:30 p.m. March 5, repeats at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays, through March 23 / Manoa Valley Theatre / 988-6131

CONCERT: March 7

The Brothers Cazimero — Robert on stand-up bass and Roland at his sit-down guitar perch — return to the Hana Hou slot March 7 at the Hawai'i Theatre. Simply put, this means that Hawaiiana will rule, both in traditional and contemporary realms. Leina'ala Kalama Heine adds the hula dimension. Tickets: $30.

• 8 p.m. March 7 / Hawai'i Theatre/ 528-0506

STAGE: March 8, 15, 22

"The Last Paving Stone," a drama by Y York, will be staged at Leeward Community College Theatre in a Honolulu Theatre for Youth production March 8, 15 and 22. It's a comic fable that addresses the imaginary, yet possible, questions: What happens when there's no more open space? What happens if the entire Earth were paved? With original music by Henry Kapono. Tickets: $12.

• 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. March 8, 15, 22 / Leeward Community College Theatre / 839-9885

CONCERT: March 8

Martin Nievera, the concert king of the Philippines, and Regine Velasquez, a Filipina songbird, team up for a night of romantic entertainment March 8 at the Hawai'i Convention Center. Nievera, a one-time Hawai'i resident, has been a Philippines superstar for years — a recording act, concert favorite, movie star, television host. With Velazquez alongside, he should have a whiz-bang homecoming. Tickets: $100 (includes pre-show reception), other ticket prices, $35, $55, $75.

• 7:30 p.m. March 8 / Hawai'i Convention Center / 843-8808

CONCERT: March 8

The Get Up Kids, right, a band hailing from Kansas City, brings its pop-punk/indie/ emo sound to an all-ages concert at Pipeline Café March 8. The band's latest release is 2002's "On a Wire"; check it all out at www.thegetupkids.net. Tickets: $20, at Tower Records/Video, Cheapo Music, 808 Skate Kailua, the UH Campus Center, Foodland stores and military ticket outlets. The opening act will be local band Linus.

• 7 p.m. March 8 / Pipeline Cafe / 526-4400

DANCE: March 11-16

"Spirit of the Dance," the Irish sensation with sizzling hot salsa and cool Celtic tapping, returns to the Hawai'i Theatre March 11-16. It's become a worldwide hit, since the Irish International Dance Company first appeared here in 2001, with six dance companies now all over the world, from Las Vegas to Branson. Tickets: $25-$45.

• 7:30 p.m. March 11-13; 8 p.m. March 14; 2 and 8 p.m. March 15; 7 p.m. March 16 / Hawai'i Theatre / 528-0506

CONCERT: March 21, 22

Plus One, a Christian act that speaks to the young, takes the Hawai'i Theatre stage March 21 and 22. The foursome — Nate Cole, Jeremy Mhire, Nathan Walters and Gabe Combs — are hip in appearance and in sound, all the better to send out their message of commitment and purpose. Tickets: $15-$35.

• 7:30 p.m. March 21, 22 / Hawai'i Theatre / 528-0506

COMING UP:

• Kamehameha Schools Ho'olaule'a 2003, March 1, Bishop Museum
• Aspen Ballet, March 2, Leeward Community College Theatre
• Hawai'i Music Awards, March 15, Kapono's
• "Romance, Romance," March 21-April 6, Diamond Head Theatre
• "Hanau Ka Moku: An Island Is Born," March 29, Hawai'i Theatre
• Olomana, April 4, Hawai'i Theatre
• "Morning's at Seven," April 11, Hawai'i Pacific University Theatre
• Hawai'i International Spring Film Festival, April 11-17, Dole Signature Theatres
• Margaret Cho, April 12, Waikiki Shell
• "Rumble in the Jungle," 'Iolani School carnival, April 25-26, 'Iolani campus
• "Giselle" ballet, by Ballet Hawaii, May 3-4, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• Uluwehi Guerrero, May 16, Hawai'i Theatre

BUZZING ABOUT:

News views: Tickets to "Dirty Laundry," Joe Moore's tell-all account of the local news biz, go on sale Tuesday at the Hawai'i Theatre box office. The KHON-Fox 2 anchor, who'll star as an aging newscaster, has offered the work as a Manoa Valley Theatre benefit. It will be staged at 8 p.m. April 18, 4 and 8 p.m. April 19; and 4 p.m. April 20, with Jason Scott Lee as a guest star. The play "was inspired by my frustration with what I see as the decline of the TV news profession and the ascent of the lowest-common-denominator style of news now so prevalent on many TV stations," says Moore. "The play is actually my nightmare scenario of what I fear could happen the next time KHON-TV is sold."

Garden party: The Kaua'i Music Festival, June 1-4 at the Hyatt Regency Kaua'i, will offer aspiring songwriters a chance to hone their craft, with guidance from some industry pros. A variety of seminars, workshops and even concerts are on tap on the Garden Island, with folks like Lisa Loeb, Lamont Dozier, Dweezil Zappa, Dennis Kamakahi, Russ Titleman, Hugh Prestwood and Jeff Cohen lined up. www.kauaimusicfestival.com

For girls: March 3 is Girls Day, and to commemorate the traditional Japanese "holiday" (which really isn't a day-off holiday, just a time to honor girls), a collection of Japanese dolls, from the Tsuji Family Collection, will be on view at the Honolulu Academy of Arts March 2-23. The exhibit of 100 vintage dolls is a gift from the family of Ryukichi Tsuji, coinciding with the museum's 75th anniversary.

Submit information for

The Great Index to Fun (TGIF) four-week guide at least 10 working days before the event. This planner appears weekly, featuring major events only; others are listed in the weekend and daily calendars.

Write: TGIF, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802, or fax 525-8055.

Schedule is subject to change.