The arts abound during the holiday season and in no way is that more apparent than the music of Christmas.

The weekend events at the Turnage Theatre are a reflection of that: a 7:30 p.m. concert on Friday featuring the Beaufort County Choral Society and River City Ringers hand bell choir’s annual Christmas concert, followed Saturday at 8 p.m. by a Celtic star Jennifer Licko’s “A Celtic Christmas” concert.

Bringing music to the public, both from outside and inside the community is part of Arts of the Pamlico’s purpose, according to Joey Toler, executive director of Arts of the Pamlico.

“If you look around, if there’s no lack of Christmas activities happening in the community. It’s part of the arts council’s mission to bring some Christmas entertainment from outside our community — specifically, the Licko concert is bringing in something that you wouldn’t normally hear in Washington,” Toler said.

Much Christmas music is steeped in the Celtic tradition, and Licko, an eastern North Carolina native, will explore that in Saturday’s “A Celtic Christmas.” Most of the traditional carols — including “We Three Kings” and “The First Noel” — will be sung in English; others will be performed in Scots Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Spanish and French.

“This will be our fifth year touring with this concert. While keeping fan favorites, we are changing about 70 percent of our material for this year’s program,” Licko said in a press release.

Licko continually draws a large crowd — partially because people are familiar with her Celtic music chart-topping work, according to Toler.

“I think a lot of the audience is Jennifer Licko fans because she has a following here,” Toler said. “But there are those who really enjoy Celtic music and then there are those who are looking for something to do, to get them in the Christmas spirit.”

Presenting local musicians, like the Beaufort County Choral Society and the River City Ringers, is just as important as presenting an internationally known artist, Toler said.

“Part of mission is to encourage local arts organizations and these two groups are local arts groups. They are all volunteer and they do it because they love it,” Toler said. “It is incumbent on us to present them — to give them a professional presentation to the public. Not only are we providing a service to our audience, but we’re providing those singers, those volunteers the opportunity to show off what they do. Much like we give artists space to present their work in our gift shop.”