COURTESY IONA IONA characters "Shanghighway to the Stars" and "Bejing Bling," above, are ready along with chef Jon Matsubara for the costume dinner party "Forbidden City."

A dinner party with bling!

Halloween might be over, but the enjoyment of great costumes continues at "Forbidden City," a benefit for the IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre, 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Stage restaurant in the Honolulu Design Center.

IONA's director Cheryl Flaharty has designed costumes with a Chinese theme -- for example, a spangled headdress called "Bejing Bling" is a dragon emerging from a jeweled take-out box.

The interactive dinner/costume party takes as its inspiration the theme of the 2008 Olympics, "New Bejing, Great Olympics." The event includes chef Jon Matsubara's dinner menu that reflects on the flair of the costumes with dishes such as Lobster Cappuccino and cocktails like the Red Lantern.

Tickets are $250. Tables for 10 are $2,000 to $10,000, themed to add to the atmosphere (think Lick Yung's Seedy Plum Palace and Won Ton of Fun). Call 282-9494 or e-mail crystal@iona360.com.

COURTESY IONA Guest Sunny Massad poses with an IONA kitty at last year's event.

COURTESY IONA An IONA lion feeds another guest.