A smashing time

Hard Rock Cafe Honolulu is getting ready to blow out the birthday candles with a reggae-themed birthday party Friday night. Twenty years might not seem that old -- depending which side of 20 you're on -- but of the 123 Hard Rocks worldwide, the Honolulu location is one of only 10 to have reached this age, said Romy Mehlman, western regional marketing director. Others include cafes in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Toronto and the original London location, which is 36.

Hard Rock Cafe 20th Anniversary Time: 6 p.m. Friday; doors open at 5 p.m. Place: Hard Rock Cafe, 1837 Kapiolani Blvd. Tickets: $25, 21 and over Call: 955-7383

The event has been in the planning stage for six months, said Mehlman. Honolulu employees picked out the musical acts: Ten Feet, Go Jimmy Go and Barrington Lev taking the outdoor stage from 6 to 8 p.m.; Natural Vibrations, and Ooklah the Moc on the indoor stage from10 p.m. and on. Emcee will be Lanai of Island 98.5. A crowd of about 1,000 is expected, said Honolulu general manager Niki Doyle.

"(Acts) were chosen on a local level because we wanted it more island-style," said Doyle, a 15-year employee of the company. "For us, it was kind of important to give back locally."

It will be a return trip to the cafe for Natural Vibrations and Ooklah the Moc, both of whom played the Hard Rock earlier this year during a benefit concert.

The anniversary also has a benefit aspect; proceeds from a raffle will go toward Jack Johnson's nonprofit organization, the Kokua Hawaii Foundation. Among items to be given away: autographed items by Johnson, a surfboard signed by junior pro surfer Kekoa Cazimero, and two Gibson guitars to be signed by evening's end by the musicians performing Friday.

Hard Rock locations pick up the local flavor or a tourist theme from their city or country -- one in Japan features a large-scale Godzilla climbing the restaurant. In Honolulu, surfboard memorabilia takes up much of the wall space, but a suit worn by John Lennon is a central piece of the collection. New items are occasionally added, and complete change-outs take place every seven years. Such a change was planned for Honolulu, but plans were put on hold because the operation is moving to Waikiki Beach Walk in 2009.

The new restaurant will be a two-floor operation, with merchandise on the first floor and eatery on the second. A Hard Rock Cafe tradition will be rolled into the grand opening: The smashing of guitars to celebrate the occasion. Full details about the new location will be revealed Friday night.