Downtown gets merry and bright tomorrow, but it's tough on drivers.

The Honolulu City Lights Public Workers Electric Light Parade kicks off the city's annual public holiday display tomorrow, but it causes traffic jams and parking problems every year for businesses and residents in the downtown and Chinatown areas.

Before the parade begins at 6 p.m., roads in the area are closed, street parking restricted, and access to parking lots and entertainment sites limited.

Thousands of people are expected to attend various events. The Eagles concert at the Neal Blaisdell Arena is going to bring in traffic along with the usual crowds going to dinner and bars downtown or in Chinatown on a Saturday night.

The Hawai'i Theatre will hold its annual Jim Nabors Christmas show with more than 100 people in the cast and crew and between 1,000 and 1,200 members of the audience all needing to park before the 7:30 p.m. opening.

Honolulu Theatre for Youth will have two shows of its "Christmas Talk Story" program at Tenney Theatre on Beretania Street.

Lynne Matusow, chairwoman of the Downtown Neighborhood Board, hopes all goes smoothly this year.

"I am concerned," Matusow said. "I don't want to see a repeat of what has happened before.

"It's a big hit on the businesses down here if something goes wrong. Some of these places are really busy on Saturday nights."

The parade was extended from 'A'ala Park to Honolulu Hale in 2002, and that year several events and restaurants suffered from no-shows because people could not get into the area. Since then, city traffic managers have worked with businesses to allow access to shops and parking by re-routing cars through a maze of narrow, one-way streets.

"We always worry about access during the parade," said Burton White, artistic director and general manager of the Hawai'i Theatre. "Over the years, we've had some years better than others."

At 5 p.m. North King Street will be closed from Liliha to River streets and traffic detoured. South King Street between Punchbowl and Alapa'i streets also will be closed.

By 6 p.m. King Street will be closed all the way from River to Alapa'i streets. After the parade, most of King will reopen block by block. But King Street from Punchbowl to Alapa'i will remain closed until 9 p.m.

Edward Oi, with the city Department of Customer Services, said the Eagles concert will cause traffic problems, especially if people take the Punchbowl Street freeway exit to the arena. Punchbowl Street between Beretania and King will be closed at 4:30 p.m., and traffic will be detoured to Beretania in the opposite direction from the arena.

"They scheduled another Eagles concert that night without telling us," Oi said. "That's going to be bad news."

According to police, traffic will be able to move across King Street in only the makai direction on Nu'uanu Street and in the mauka direction at Alakea Street between parade units when possible. There will be 65 units in the parade and eight recommended break points to allow traffic to cross.

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com.