A nonprofit group that hosted a festival at Ala Moana Park's Magic Island last year is planning another event in March, with proceeds to go toward park projects such as adding more benches and tables and fixing the electrical system at McCoy Pavilion.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann and the nonprofit Honolulu 100, which planned last year's centennial celebration, announced plans Tuesday at the park.

Last year's event weathered some difficulties. Some of the festival was canceled because of heavy rains. Before the event, the city began clearing the park of homeless people at night, prompting complaints from the homeless and their advocates that they didn't have enough warning.

But Hannemann said he still believes that was the right decision to help make the park accessible to more people.

"Ala Moana Park looks much prettier, much lovelier and much cleaner than ever before," he said. "This is our crown jewel."

The 2007 Honolulu Family Festival is scheduled to run March 29 to April 1.

The group said money raised from this year's festival will help pay for various Ala Moana Park improvement projects. Parks employees came up with a wish list of projects that they hope could be paid for this year with any extra help from the festival donations, which would come in the form of a gift to the city.

City parks director Lester Chang said the list includes some repairs, replacing old lighting fixtures with energy-efficient ones and putting in new benches and tables. "We want to get the projects that would benefit the most people," he said.

Chang said the priority list also includes a new rubbish-collection truck to efficiently pick up the tons of trash generated monthly at the popular urban park. "That's not glamorous," he acknowledged, but it would be helpful to park staff trying to accomplish many tasks each week.

He said the donations would allow more work to get done sooner. "We'll be able to do things that we're not able to get to right now," he said.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.