After a one-year hiatus in 2009, the fundraising Kokua Festival has announced its return for the beginning of 2010’s festival season. Organized by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson and his own Kokua Hawaii Foundation, the musical event will take place on Earth Day weekend, April 23-24, at the Waikiki Shell in Honolulu, HI.

In an announcement today, Johnson was announced as the event’s 2010 headliner, with artists Ziggy Marley and Taj Mahal also scheduled to perform full sets. Hawaiian performers Jake Shimabukuro and Anuhea will round out the billing for the two-day event.

This is the sixth year for the environmentally focused Kokua Festival, which launched in 2003. Hawaii-based Johnson created the event to benefit Kokua Hawaii Foundation, which he co-founded with his wife to support environmental education in the islands’ schools and communities.

In previous years, Johnson co-headlined the event with Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, Ben Harper, Eddie Vedder, and Dave Matthews. But after Kokua’s 2008 season, festival organizers announced that the event would be going on hiatus, though details and factors leading up to that decision were not divulged.

“After hosting five consecutive and successful years of the Kokua Festival, we have decided to take a break,” the December 2008 statement noted briefly. “We’d like to send out a big ‘mahalo’ to everyone who has supported the festival over the years, and especially thank the artists who have donated their positive energy and memorable performances.”

The Waikiki Shell has a seating capacity of just under 8,500 people, which includes a front orchestra area, stadium chairs, and lawn seating. Reserved seats at the event will go for $50 or $125, while general admission lawn passes are priced at $40. Children 3-12 years old can receive discounted general admission tickets for $20, and children under 3 are free.

Members of the Kokua Hawaii Foundation will have the first opportunity to buy event tickets through a presale that spans February 12-13. Volunteers who participate in any of the foundation’s arranged beach clean-ups around the islands on February 13 will receive presale codes for a second sale that will run February 14-15.

Hawaii residents have exclusive access to the next round of sales, which begins February 20 on Ticketmaster. Onsales for the general public will follow on February 21.

Johnson, a native of Hawaii, is looking forward to the release of his untitled fifth studio album on June 1. The record release will be followed by a new world tour, with the first U.S. dates to be announced sometime in March. His 2008 album, “Sleep Through the Static,” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.