The 56th annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration will be held on Thursday, Dec. 24 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at The Music Center. Music ensembles, choirs and dance companies from neighborhoods throughout the county and representing the many cultures of the region will celebrate the season during the free, three-hour holiday show. PBS SoCal will also broadcast the program on Dec. 24 from 3 to 6 p.m.

(photo by Gennia Cui, The Future Collective)

Highlights of holiday celebration favorites returning to the show include the Grammy-nominated, all-female ensemble Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, which will perform “El Gallo,” a witty original song that defies gender stereotypes. Also returning is the choral music ensemble Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers; Invertigo Dance Theatre, which will perform a remixed version of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies”; the 50-member Colburn Children’s Choir and Young Men’s Ensemble; and Pacifico Dance Company, performing a folklorico piece from the Chihuahua region of Mexico.

The dance company BODYTRAFFIC performing an ensemble piece titled “o2joy”; the Korean-American indie folk-rock band Run River North; MôForró, which will perform a medley of holiday songs in the style of Brazilian forró; and Mostly Kosher, which will mark its first appearance on the program with the Hanukkah song “Ma’oz Tzur (Rock of Ages).”

Entertainment on The Music Center plaza begins at 12:30 p.m.; doors open at 2:30 p.m. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at The Music Center is located at 135 N. Grand Ave. For information, call (213)972-3099, or visit www.HolidayCelebration.org.