For Clarke Bright, maestro of the Royal Hawaiian Band, this is a season of giving.

The band, decked out in Christmas finery, will give its first holiday community concert — free, no tickets required — Thursday at the Hawaii Theatre.

“It has always been a desire of the band, as well as the (Mayor Kirk Caldwell) administration, to provide a community concert for the people of Hawaii as a Christmas gift from the city to the people,” he said.

The Hawaii Theatre, coupled with the generosity of the Royal Hawaiian Band Music Society, also helped make this freebie possible.

Normally, the band performs free all the time — in parades, at malls and at community sites. And fans know that the band stages regular performances at noon Fridays at the bandstand at Iolani Palace and at 2 p.m. Sundays at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand.

Look and listen for the Royal Hawaiian Band in the Honolulu City Lights parade — a band tradition — Saturday night and at the Kapolei City Lights parade Dec. 12.

But a sit-down concert, in a formal theatrical setting, is a rarity for the band, the only one in the nation with a royal legacy. Bright says it will also be a pleasure.

“We play often and everywhere, in various types of buildings, some not conducive to great sound,” he said. “So the Hawaii Theatre, a historic venue, is a chance to really shine. It will be a privilege and an honor to perform there.”

Bright said his late father, theater director Ron Bright, took in a Hawaii Theatre concert in September 2014 during the Aloha Festivals — and adored the ambience.

The Royal Hawaiian Band was founded in 1836 by King Kamehameha III, with a mission that continues today: to perpetuate Hawaiian culture and music, to foster and promote music, to inspire young musicians and to enrich the lives of residents with year-round concert performances.

On Thursday the band’s performance will be heightened, with harp, stand-up bass, woodwinds and more.

Bright also corralled a handful of popular island entertainers to join in, packaging a festive, tuneful event.

Band regulars Gary Aiko, Malia Kaai and Pi‘ilaniwahine Smith will take the stage, along with guest singers Karen Keawehawaii and Jerry Santos of Olomana. Keawehawaii’s daughter and son-in-law, Tracie and Keawe Lopes, will join the party with their award-winning halau, Ka La ‘Onohi Mai o Ha‘eha‘e.

For laughs, comedian-singer Frank De Lima will make an appearance.

The Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus, directed by Linell Bright (who is married to Clarke Bright), is also on the bill.

The fare is smartly mixed to appeal to young and old alike, with holiday favorites, some band classics, Hawaiian mele and hula, a Russian number and musical excerpts from “Star Wars.”

Just as the musical arrangements are being polished and readied, so are the uniforms for the players.

“For the holidays we’ll probably have the men in black pants and white coat with red tie, the women in a form of that or white muumuu, augmented by red or green lei,” said Bright. “It’s a departure from the usual white uniforms with red sash or aloha shirts.”