ENTERTAINMENT

No Kokua Festival this year

After five consecutive years, Jack Johnson's popular Kokua Festival will take 2009 off, Johnson's publicist announced yesterday.

“;We've had five great years of the festival,”; said Brittany Pearce from Fresh and Clean Media in Los Angeles, “;and we wanted to take some time out to regroup.”;

Pearce said she couldn't confirm whether the festival would return to the Waikiki Shell in 2010. She also said that Johnson, after traveling the world in his “;All at Once”; tour, “;has no plans to tour after a very busy '08.”;

The Kokua Festival was staged as a benefit for the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, an environmental group founded by Johnson and his wife, Kim. Johnson performed on concert bills that featured local artists as well as high-profile music acts from elsewhere, such as Michael Franti & Spearhead, Ozomatli, Jackson Browne, Ben Harper, Willie Nelson, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Dave Matthews.

Held on or around Earth Day, the concert usually sells out quickly.