Aficionados of fine reading and listening turned out in droves for today's Hawaiçi Book and Music Festival at Honolulu Hale and the Mission Memorial Auditorium.

The annual event has grown dramatically since its inception three years ago and organizers predict that this year's festival — which features 190 events and some 600 featured presenters — will top last year's attendance total of 30,000.
Highlights from today's activities included a panel discussion with former Hawaiçi governors George Ariyoshi, John Waiheçe and Ben Cayetano, a choral showcase and the presentation of the Hawaiçi Literary Arts Council's Cades Award to Joe Tsujimoto and Paul Theroux.
The festival continues tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.