What's Up!

Local favorite High school bands on the march The 24th Annual Meadow Gold Rainbow Invitational Marching Band Festival gets under way at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at Aloha Stadium. Thousands are expected to cheer on the high school marching bands, including those from 'Aiea, Castle, Farrington, Iolani, Kahuku, Kailua, Kalani, Kamehameha, Kapolei, Mililani, Moanalua, Nanakuli, Pearl City, Punahou, Roosevelt and Waialua. Tickets — $7 general, $4 students — are available at the box office. Free for kids 6 and younger.

As Morpheus said, "The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now in this very room." So take the red pill and "Enter the Matrix" this Halloween by partying on over to the Wave. There's a $1,000 prize for the Themed Costume Contest and local alt-rock band Missing Dave performs. DJs KSM, Sub-Zero and Jrama will be in the house, too. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door before midnight, for 21 and older.

• 8 p.m.-4 a.m. Oct. 31 / Wave Waikiki / 941-0424

HALLOWEEN: Oct. 31-Nov. 1

Get ready for a Halloween bash so big, it takes place over two days instead of just one. Big Tom presents "Wicked Weekend" with San Francisco DJ Phil B. one night and Los Angeles DJ Rafael M. the next. The Saturday party will have a fund-raiser raffle to benefit Gregory House programs. There's no costume contest, but feel free to dress wild and get wicked at a brand-new Waikiki nightclub, Level 2. Derek Daniels' infamous "Party Favors" will get the go-go floor shaking, and expect a wicked surprise at midnight on Halloween. Cover is $10 each night, for 21 and older.

• 10 p.m.-4 a.m. Oct. 31-Nov. 1 / Level 2, 2301 Kuhio Avenue / 955-4852

FESTIVAL: Nov. 8

The 4th annual Honolulu Harbor Festival celebrates the islands' colorful maritime history with harbor tours, tugboat hula, the Sand Island Challenge Outrigger Canoe Race and demonstrations by the U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue Team and the University of Hawai'i Sailing Team. There's entertainment — Kapena, Ka'ala Boys, Maunalua, Kanilau, Weldon Kekauoha and Tapa Groove, and the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet Band — and children's activities, too. Admission is free.

• 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 8 / Hawai'i Maritime Center and Aloha Tower Marketplace / 523-6151

DANCE: Nov. 5-9

The University of Hawai'i's dance showcase "Fall Footholds" goes futuristic as it features the work of MFA candidate Christine Berwin, right. Her piece, titled "dancetalent@cyberstage.com," blends elements of modern dance, drama, technology and acrobatics. Other students will perform modern and Indonesian dance, hula and more in the second part of the program. Tickets: $10 general, $8 seniors, military, UH faculty/staff, non-UHM students, $3 UHM.

• 8 p.m. Nov. 5-8, 2 p.m. Nov. 9 / Earle Ernst Lab Theatre, UH-Manoa / 956-7655

CONCERT: Nov. 12

"Cheer Up!" because Reel Big Fish is skanking back into town. The fun-loving ska band, known for such hits as "She Has a Girlfriend Now," "Sell Out" and "I Want Your Girlfriend to be My Girlfriend Too," is a big favorite with local concert-goers. This is the band's sixth appearance in the islands. The band The Matches opens. Tickets: $17.50.

• 7 p.m. Nov. 12 / Pipeline Cafe / (877) 750-4400

CONCERT: Nov. 14

Soft rock duo Air Supply — Australian-born Russell Hitchcock and Briton Graham Russell — brings their sweet love songs from the Decade of Greed into town. Known for such timeless love songs as "Even the Nights are Better," "All Out of Love" and "Lost in Love," the crooners enjoyed many top 5 hits since their formation in 1975. Tickets are $45 for upper level, $55 for middle level loge, $45-$65 for floor level risers and $65 for floor level seating. Proceeds from the concert will go to the Dominican Sisters ministry to build an elder-care facility on the North Shore.

• 8 p.m. Nov. 14 / Blaisdell Arena / 526-4400

MIXED BAG: Nov. 16

The Hawai'i Convention Center will soon be celebrating its fifth anniversary, and everyone is invited to take part in the festivities. Get in on the fun with local entertainment, "backdoor" tours of the center, keiki games and lots and lots of birthday cake. There will also be screenings of Edgy Lee's films "Waikiki: In the Wake of Dreams" and "Paniolo: Cowboys of the Far West." Admission and parking will be free.

• 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 16 / Hawai'i Convention Center / 943-3500

FESTIVAL: Nov. 23

It's time once again for the annual Pasko celebration, co-sponsored by the Filipino Association of University Women. Now in its 15th year, the cultural festival celebrates the holidays Filipino style with dance and music presentations, cultural demonstrations, arts and crafts, and children's activities. This year's celebration honors the opening of a new gallery, "Art of the Philippines: The George and Nancy Ellis Gallery," which will be filled with contemporary art, gold jewelry, carved wood furniture and elaborate textiles. Admission is free.

• 1-4 p.m. Nov. 23 / Honolulu Academy of Arts / 532-8700

STAGE: Nov. 19-Dec.7

Manoa Valley Theatre is staging the comedy/drama "Apartment 3A," written by Jeff Daniels. It's a modern tale of love and loss, revolving around a public television development director as she suffers from heartbreak and eventually mends with the help of a next-door neighbor. Tickets are $25 general, with a $5 discount for seniors and military; $15 for those 25 and younger.

• 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays / Manoa Valley Theatre / 988-6131

COMING UP:

• Cecilio and Kapono, a symphony pops concert, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• Hawai i State Art Museum's first birthday party, Nov. 1
• Digital Underground, Nov. 3, Pipeline Cafe
• "All My Sons," by Arthur Miller, Nov. 7-Dec. 7, Hawai'i Pacific University
• WAR, Nov. 8, Sea Life Park
• Dilated Peoples, Nov. 10, Pipeline Cafe
• "Ten Million Reawa-kenings," by The Actors' Group, Nov. 12-Dec. 14, Yellow Brick Studio
• "Man of La Mancha," Nov. 13-29, Army Community Theatre
• Air Supply, Nov. 14, Blaisdell Arena
• Dave Alvin, blues and folk artist, Nov. 15, Hawaiian Hut
• Little Feat, Nov. 21, Kaka'ako Waterfront Park

BUZZING ABOUT:

Neil Sedaka in concert: Tickets go on sale today for "An Acoustic Evening with Neil Sedaka," 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Hawai'i Theatre. Sedaka, as longtime music fans know, is a pop music icon whose hits include "I Must Be Dreaming," "Calendar Girl," "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" and "Laughter in the Rain." Classically trained on the piano, the singer/songwriter's recording pedigree dates back to the late 1950s. Tickets are $25, $37.50 and $45 at the box office. 528-0506. There's a Maui show, too: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center; same ticket prices.

The roach approach: Kids, bag those B-52s and bring them on Halloween night to the Bishop Museum, where The Creepy-Crawly Roach Race is a new icky (in a maybe good way) attraction of Treat Street. The buggers will race down a 44-inch track; owners of the buggers will win prizes. Also, museum scientists will be there to teach young and old all about cockroaches. Admission to Treat Street is free ($1 donations welcome); hours are 5:30-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

From Russia, with music: Bering Strait, a pop-infused country band whose members really do come from Russia, makes its Hawai'i debut at the ongoing Hamakua Music Festival on the Big Island. Showtime is 7 p.m. Nov. 1 at the Honoka'a People's Theatre. Tickets are $20 general, $25 for the Gold Section; $5 more at the door if tickets are still available. Get them at Borders in Hilo or Kona, Byrd's Audio and Honoka'a Marketplace. (808) 775-3378, www.hamakuamusicfestival.org.

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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.

E-mail: tgif@honoluluadvertiser.com

Schedule is subject to change.