Ben Moffat’s dream 20 years ago was at once strange and delightful. "I saw a village where art was everywhere, even in surprising places like a cafeteria," said the retired Windward Community College professor of theater. "I saw a display case like the ones at Starbucks that hold danishes, muffins and cookies. Puppets appeared among the pastries! There seemed to be no gap between creative endeavors and ‘normal life.’"

In 2009, Moffat was walking in Hale Palanakila, WCC’s Humanities Building, after a late-night rehearsal in the theater with drama students. He noticed many other students were also awake at that hour, practicing in the music rooms, working on projects in the photo and ceramics labs, and concentrating at easels in drawing and painting studios.

"It was as though the village in my dream 14 years earlier had come to life," Moffat said. "I thought, ‘Seeing art being created so many different ways in one place is amazing! We should share it with the community!’ Those two occurrences — that realization in Hale Palanakila and the dream I had many years before it — inspired the Paliku Arts Festival and helped me shape it."

The inaugural festival was held in 2011, two years after Moffat set the wheels in motion. "Paliku" is the Hawaiian word for "tall cliffs," referring to the Koo­lau mountains, which provide a majestic backdrop to WCC’s campus. It is the name of the college’s theater, and, to Moffat, it also seemed like a natural choice for the festival because most activities take place there and at the adjacent plaza.

"Come Play, Do Art" is the theme of this year’s fifth annual festival. According to Moffat, the event remains lighthearted and playful — an interactive art experience that encourages people to have fun and nurture their creative side.

"Studies have shown play is very important for humans, but it is missing in many people’s lives," Moffat said. "When budgets are cut, the arts are often the first to go because they’re considered frills. Parents have told me they’re grateful for our festival because they don’t think their children are getting enough opportunities to express their creativity, especially in school."

In keeping with the adventurous, "learn-by-doing" vibe, attendees can dive into 25 activities, including hula, acting, drawing, painting, woodcarving, printmaking, photography and poetry writing. They can mold sculptures from clay, play a tune on the piano and have fun dressing up in masks and costumes.

Instructors and supplies are provided at no charge, and attendees can take home whatever they make. Adults might initially see the festival as a great diversion for kids, but they usually wind up being equally enthusiastic participants.

"Our goal is to not only foster the next generation of artists, but to put people in touch with a vital, healing part of themselves," Moffat said. "Personally, I feel great when I’m making something. I’m not always satisfied with the result, but the process itself is fulfilling."

This year six WCC theater students and alumni will take the stage for two performances of "The Magical Pu Stealer," a children’s play that was written and directed by Moses Goods, a cultural educator at Bishop Museum. It retells the old Hawaiian tale of Pua­pua­lena­lena, a shape-shifting dog who brings peace to Wai­pio Valley on Hawaii island.

Gallery ‘Iolani will feature an exhibit titled "Communities, Disaster and Change," in which 28 of Alaska’s finest artists explore the effects of natural disasters in their communities. It runs through April 30; hours are Sunday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. It will be closed Easter Sunday and on Saturdays except for the day of the festival.

Sure to draw crowds to the Hoku­lani Imaginarium will be "Secrets of the Dragon," a thrilling ride through the universe on the back of a dragon. "The Imaginarium is like a planetarium, but it has the capability of projecting anything a computer can generate on the full dome," Moffat said. "During ‘Secrets of the Dragon,’ stars will appear on the dome as they would in a planetarium but with an incredible special effect: You’ll feel like you’re flying between them!"

Also in the Imaginarium will be two "Music of the Spheres" programs produced by Ebb & Flow Arts (ebbandflowarts.org), a nonprofit based in Kula, Maui, which presents modern music and multimedia events. The elaborate programs synchronize original music with film, paintings, line drawings, full-dome digital projections and other dramatic images.

Included in the 2 p.m. program is Part 2 of Charles Wuorinen’s 35-minute composition "Time’s Enco­mium," which received the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1970. Striking abstract paintings by Maui artist Martha Woodbury will accompany the 16-minute segment.

New this year is the Language Arts Oasis, featuring a book sale, a poetry workshop for children and a haiku tree where participants can hang thought-provoking words, phrases and/or completed poems.

"The Paliku Arts Festival is a wonderful way for families to spend a day together," Moffat said. "It starts with Windward Community College’s beautiful location beneath the Koo­laus. Activities take place in quiet, relaxing spaces. The highlight for me is the creative energy — seeing people learning, making things, trying something new and sharing what they love, be it music, poetry, fine arts or performing arts. There’s a palpable feeling of joy in the air."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.