Ring in Chinese New Year at fest

Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit at the free "Relive the Plantation Days Festival" in Waipahu today.

Starting at 10 a.m., a Chinese lion dance from Kung Siu Lum Pai will kick off festivities, which include airbrush face-painting, Korean crafts, plantation games and balloons by Balloon Monsoon.

Don’t miss performances by the Korean Farmer’s Dancers, Mahalohalo Kolintang Ensemble, and The Tekniqlingz Crew.

Take free tours of the village and sample food from the plantation era, such as Chinese gao, Korean duk kook, Japanese kuromame and Okinawan nantu.

The Plantation Village is in Waipahu Cultural Garden Park, 94-695 Waipahu St. Visit www.hawaiiplantationvillage.org for more information.

Activities mark whale month

The Waikiki Aquarium celebrates Humpback Whale Month with an array of educational activities.

The Whales Afterschool at the Aquarium will be held Wednesdays at 3 p.m. through Feb. 23. Students learn about how whales migrate to Hawaii and how to protect them through craft projects and more.

The 16-minute documentary film "In the Wake of Giants" will be shown at 12:30 and 1 p.m. Feb. 17 in the aquarium classroom. The film shows humpback whales entangled in ropes and fishing nets fighting for their lives as rescuers from the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and the Hawaiian Islands Disentanglement Network struggle to save them.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual ocean counts will be held Feb. 26 and March 26 at various sites on Oahu. Volunteers monitor the water for signs of humpback whale activity, help record whale behaviors and complete a site map. Call 397-2651, ext. 249 or visit hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov for more information. Online registration is available at sanctuaryoceancount.org.

Single-show films honor athletes

Inspire your young athletes at two single-broadcast movies at Regal Dole Cannery this month.

"Hood to Coast" follows four quirky teams as they take on the world’s largest relay race. The film, which plays at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, includes a filmed panel discussion with Olympian Mary Decker Slaney. Tickets are $12.50.

"Rise," which plays at 8 p.m. Feb. 17, chronicles the plane crash that killed all the members of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team. The film features interviews before and after the movie with figure skating stars Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano and Michelle Kwan. Tickets are $15.

For more information, log on to www.fathomevents.com.

SpongeBob and Dora to appear in the isles

Meet SpongeBob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer as they help launch the Nickelodeon Rooms collection at HomeWorld Furniture.

The characters will make appearances from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Honolulu location and 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Aiea location. They will also make special appearances at the Ronald McDonald House and Shriners Hospital for Children.