Last year's Centennial Family Festival celebrated the 100th birthday of our city. So what does this year's remonikered 2007 Family Festival celebrate?

Well, nothing really.

But why gripe about another four-day excuse for families to bond over E.K. Fernandez carnival rides, food and free entertainment and other parent-kid activities at Magic Island? The city even promises that funds raised will go toward the continued restoration of Magic Island and Ala Moana Beach Park.

And check out the fest's ongoing entertainment: stunt dogs, high divers, puppets. Ooh!

The state's most-talented stunt dogs will show off what patience, discipline and a whole lot of bacon-flavored treats can accomplish in "Jump! The Ultimate Dog Show." Dudes with far more courage than Clyde Drexler on "Dancing with the Stars" will act out some kind of actual story and demonstrate various ways of high-diving into a small pool of water — including a grand finale leap from a platform 70 feet above ground — in "The Pirates of the Caribbean High Dive Show."

And the Backyard Circus and Family Puppet Parade at least sounds like something one might want to check out armed with, say, a dozen malasadas and a Hawaiian plate. Other ethnicities representing with Family Festival food booths are Koreans, Puerto Ricans, Samoans, Filipinos, Japanese and Chinese.

Family Festival dates are Thursday through April 1.

Minus last winter's 40 days and 40 nights of rain — which cut a full day of the 2006 fest — expect even more residents and visitors showing up than the 60,000 that dropped by last time around. Which brings us, quite naturally, to the very important subject of parking.

In short, it'll be a mess at the park. That's why the city and county folks will offer free shuttle rides from the fest's official (and gratis) parking at the Alapa'i bus lot on the corner of South King and Alapa'i streets and the Honolulu Municipal Building parking lot off Alapa'i Street.

Shuttles will depart from the Alapa'i bus lot from 5 p.m. to midnight March 30, noon to midnight March 31 and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 1. (Sorry, no shuttles on Thursday, kids.)

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.