What's up!

March film premieres March 5: "Hidalgo," "Starsky & Hutch" (above) March 12: "Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London," "The Girl Next Door," "Secret Window," "Spartan" March 19: "Dawn of the Dead," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Taking Lives" March 26: "Jersey Girl," "The Ladykillers," "Never Die Alone," "Scoobie-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed"

Help celebrate 150 years of U.S.-Japan relations during the 10th anniversary of the Honolulu Festival, left. This year's event expects more than 5,500 artisans, performers and spectators from Japan to come out for the festival. The fun includes musical and dance performances, art exhibits, cultural displays, seminars, educational programs and a parade. Admission is free.

• March 5-7 / Hawai'i Convention Center, Ala Moana Center, Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, Honolulu Academy of Arts / www.honolulufestival.com

CONCERT: March 5

Hawaiian Hut will be the place to catch the big fish when blues band Hot Tuna swims into town. The '70s band, formed as a spinoff to Jefferson Airplane, features Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen. Barry Mitterhoff joins in on the mandolin as special guest. Tickets: $30 advance, $35 at the door.

• 9 p.m. March 5 / Hawaiian Hut / 941-5205

Also, Hot Tuna sandwiches in the O'ahu performance between concerts at:

• Kaua'i War Memorial Convention Hall Theater at 6 p.m. March 4. Tickets are $25 advance, $30 at the door. (808) 241-6623, (808) 337-9234.
• Ohana Keauhou Beach Resort in Kona at 5 p.m. March 6. Tickets are $28 advance, $30 at the door. (808) 322-3441.
• Maui Arts and Cultural Center's Castle Theatre at 7:30 p.m. March 7. Tickets are $25, $30 and $35. (808) 242-7469.

STAGE: March 11-14

Get ready to be wowed by Chi, a dazzling production of strength and balance from Shanghai. The 40-member company of acrobats, martial artists, aerial gymnasts, dancers, tumblers and jugglers comes to Honolulu during its first U.S. tour. Tickets are $18-$48, with a $10 discount for students, seniors and military. American Express cardholders get $5 off the adult ticket prices.

• 7:30 p.m. March 11-13 and 2 p.m. March 14 / Blaisdell Concert Hall / (877) 750-4400

DANCE: March 11-13

Heiva I Honolulu 2004 is the second annual Tahitian dance competition, music and cultural event, presented by Tahiti Nui International. A Mr. and Miss Tahiti Nui International will be chosen, and troupes will compete in solo and group categories. Tickets are $11 general, $15 pool area each day, available at the Blaisdell box office and the Waikiki Shell two hours before show time.

• 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m. March 11-13 / Waikiki Shell / 732-7342

MIXED BAG: March 5-7

The third annual gay-friendly Volcano Party is set to erupt in the Islands with exotic dance parties, laser shows by Laseronics and celebrity entertainers:

• Local DJs spin it up 6-9 p.m. March 5 during the official welcome event, "Aloha," at Hula's Bar & Lei Stand.
• DJ Hex Hector and Pepper Mashay heat up Volcanoes Nightclub 9 p.m.-4 a.m. March 5 at the festival's Friday Night Party.
• The main event, Volcano Party III, takes off 4:30 p.m.-2 a.m. March 6 at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park. DJ Brett Henrichsen, right, of Masterbeat and Kristine W perform, along with DJ Scotty K from Los Angeles. Local DJs Rayne and Paulo take over the Afterhours party following the main event, 10 p.m.-8 a.m. at Level 2 in Waikiki.
• DJ Barry Harris explodes during the Volcanic Sunday T-Dance at Wave Waikiki, 8 p.m.-2 a.m. March 7.

All events are for 21 and older. A weekend pass is $135 and the VIP weekend pass is $235.

• March 5-7 / various venues / (877) 242-4900

CONCERT: March 20

Island 98.5's popular Bomb Bucha concert is back in a big way. This year's star-studded performance roster includes Ten Feet, Natural Vibrations (left), B.E.T., Three Plus, Inoa'ole, One Drop and Opihi Pickers, plus others to be announced. Tickets range from $16 to $26.

• 4 p.m. March 20 / Waikiki Shell / (877) 750-4400

CONCERT: March 19, 21

The Honolulu Symphony's Halekulani MasterWorks season continues in March with flutists Lady Jeanne Galway and Sir James Galway. Sir James has been nominated for a Grammy seven times, and Lady Jeanne has performed around Europe and the U.S. as both a soloist and chamber musician. The concert program includes works by Mendelssohn, Cimarosa and Mercadante. Samuel Wong conducts. Tickets are $21, $33, $38, $49 and $64.

• 8 p.m. March 19 and 4 p.m. March 21 / Blaisdell Concert Hall / 792-2000, (877) 750-4400

FESTIVAL: March 27

Celebrate Portuguese culture when the Hawaii Council on Portuguese Heritage presents "Festa." On the menu: some of Hawai'i's favorite foods including malasadas, Portuguese bean soup, Portuguese sausage hot dogs on sweet bread buns, a marinated pork plate and Portuguese tostitos. In addition, there will be a beer and wine garden, local comedy and musical entertainment, a craft sale, cultural displays and the music and dance of Portugal. Local funnyman Frank DeLima headlines the entertainment, along with musician Jesse Rivera and the 30-member Portuguese dance troupe Alma Ribatejana. Admission to the Festa is $3 general and free for children 12 and younger. Admission to Alma Ribatejana's encore performance at 6:30 p.m. is $5 general and $1 for children 12 and younger.

• 9 a.m.-6 p.m. March 27 / Ala Moana Park, McCoy Pavilion / 845-1616

CONCERT: March 28

Grammy-award winning classical guitarist Sharon Isbin is set to strum her stuff during a Hawai'i tour. Celebrated by the Atlanta Journal as "the Monet of the classical guitar" and hailed by the London Times as a "brilliant virtuoso," Isbin has toured all over the world including around Europe, the U.S., Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South America, Mexico and Israel. Tickets are $25.

• 7:30 p.m. March 28 / Paliku Theatre / 235-7433

COMING UP:

• The Brothers Cazimero, March 12, Hawai'i Theatre
• Hawaii Internation-al Taiko Festival concert, March 20, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• Dashboard Confessional, March 26, Pipeline Café
• Iona Contemporary Dance Theatre, April 2-3, Hawai'i Theatre
• blink-182, April 3 at Blaisdell Arena, April 4 at Maui Arts & Cultural Center
• Na Palapalai, April 23, Hawai'i Theatre
• David Benoit and Michael Paulo, with the Honolulu Sym-phony Pops, April 9-10, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• May Day Concert with The Brothers Cazimero, May 1, Waikiki Shell
• Toto, with the Honolulu Symphony Pops, May 7-8, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• Finch, emo/punk/ pop/rock band, May 22, Pipeline Café

BUZZING ABOUT:

Get your tickets: Dashboard Confessional, featuring the heartache of singer/songwriter Chris Carrabba, is returning for a concert March 26 at Pipeline Café. Dashboard made its debut in Honolulu in November 2002 and has since delivered another CD, titled "A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar." And then there's Finch, an emo/punk/pop/rock band from Southern California, which offers a concert May 22 at Pipeline. Each concert starts at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6 p.m. Dashboard tickets: $20; Finch: $17.50. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at Blaisdell box office and Ticketmaster outlets. (877) 750-4400.

Her name is Lola: Zenia Zambrano will portray Lola in the Barry Manilow musical "Copacabana," premiering March 10 at Manoa Valley Theatre. With the original three-week run practically a sell-out, extension dates are inevitable. John Rampage leaves his usual turf, Diamond Head Theatre, to guest-direct this one.

Waltzing to fame: "The Merry Widow," the Hawai'i Opera Theatre finale bowing tonight at Blaisdell Concert Hall, required swift-on-the-feet waltzers to grace the ensemble. Honolulu Club's resident dance instructor, George Garcia, and soon-to-be wife K'ai won the auditions hands (or feet) down so they're doing their first-ever opera. Garcia teaches tango at the Honolulu Club but has had fleeting fame and fortune over the years. In the late 1970s, for example, he disco-danced on TV's "Dance Fever."

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.

E-mail: tgif@honoluluadvertiser.com

Schedule is subject to change.