Shaka Santa spent the summer in a Manana warehouse, avoiding the chill of a huge rent increase that city officials had feared, and now is ready to spend the holidays at Honolulu Hale, while some of his foam friends will head for a new "City Lights" display at Kapolei.

Bill Brennan, spokesman for Mayor Mufi Hannemann, said the trademark foam figure, his "wife," the "snow family," elves and other figures that make up the display for the popular Honolulu City Lights program were able to remain rent-free this year.

That came as a relief, he said, after city Parks and Recreation Director Lester Chang found that moving to a privately owned warehouse would have cost more than $600,000. Chang thought the Christmas display figures had to move because the city would no longer own the Manana warehouse where they had been stored for years. But the items were allowed to stay there rent-free until the holiday season.

The city is negotiating for a new home at a privately owned Honolulu warehouse that would be available in January when the seasonal festivities end. No price was available because the arrangement has not been finalized, Brennan said.

Meanwhile, Joan Manke of the city's Customer Services Division is working to make a smooth transition to this year's "Honolulu City Lights," with $23,000 budgeted from the city and $60,000 from the private Friends of Honolulu City Lights organization.

She said Honolulu's celebration will kick off on Dec. 3. Kapolei's will be a week later, Dec. 10.

Manke said expanding the "City Lights" to Kapolei has won support from that community, but she's working with the team of supporters to keep all the festivities within the same budget as last year.

"This is a wonderful gift from the city to the people of Hawai'i," she said.

Manke said Hannemann has encouraged her to share the festivities as much as possible — within that budget. So officials also have been looking at whether they could do some "city lights" on the Windward side as well, but nothing has been finalized, she said.

She said the city had put up some lights last year at Kapolei, so they are working to build on that, adding an electric light parade, and Christmas trees in the courtyard, and checking to see if schools are interested in helping with displays.

At Honolulu Hale, the celebration will mark the city's 100th year and share the centennial theme of "Ha'aheo No O Honolulu," or "Pride of Honolulu."

Manke said the display will include a new three-tier birthday cake for Honolulu and for Kapolei.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.