Mayor Bill White today invited Houstonians to join him for the Annual Holiday Celebration on the plaza at City Hall.  Grammy award winning songstress Regina Belle heads the lineup for this year's event.   The festivities take place Friday, December 4, 2009 between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The Mayor's Holiday Celebration is a long-standing tradition with music, festivities, fireworks and the lighting of the official holiday tree.  "Year in and Year out the Holiday Celebration proves to be a wonderful event for family and friends," said Mayor White. "We encourage you to come out and enjoy the program as we pause and reflect on another great year."

The lineup also will include performances by the Aldine Dance Company, the Houston Children's Chorus, the Champion Sisters, DeAndre Nico, Tony Glover, The Ernest Walker Ensemble with a 100 voice combined choir and a very special guest for the children.

"Great Day Houston" host Debra Duncan will again act as this year's Mistress of Ceremonies.  The celebration will be televised on KHOU-TV, channel 11, on Saturday, December 5th at 7 p.m.

Reliant Energy is returning for the fourth year as the official tree sponsor. Reliant Energy presents a holiday tree, adorned with energy efficient, LED (light-emitting diode) lights that use one-tenth the energy of a comparable incandescent bulb, are much more durable, last much longer and produce almost no heat.   

This year's fireworks presentation is sponsored by Jaguar Houston Central, your "inside the loop" Jaguar dealer. Capital One Bank helps us capture memories of the event as our Official Photo Sponsor. Returning sponsors include Downtown District, Houston Public Library Foundation and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and is produced by the Mayor's Office of Special Events.

The event is free and open to the public.