It’s got jesters, gymnasts, a 200-voice chorus and the soul of a community. The Chorus of Westerly’s annual presentation of A Celebration of Twelfth Night takes place this weekend. And as always, the annual bash promises a fun time.

Twelfth Night, the last of the 12 festive days of Christmas, is just about the biggest thing in this town, when some of the 100 or so townsfolk who make all the magic happen take time off from work to build sets, sew costumes and write the script. The writing part of the show has fallen of late to Harvey Blanchette, a 28-year-old stone mason who took over for longtime scribe Anne Utter, who died in the fall of 2006. This time around, audiences will get to watch the first installment of a story that will play out over the next five Januarys, a tale about a land with four rival kingdoms and the child who appears to unite them.

This first episode takes place aboard a ship and deals with a damsel kidnapped by an evil water demon.

While the thread of a plot will wind through the next few shows, each one can stand on its own, said Blanchette.

“All the elements will be there to make it feel like Twelfth Night,” said Blanchette, who first acted in the show when he was 4. “We just try to find ways to keep it fresh.”

But the tale of the hapless maiden is only part of the planned festivities. Basically, Twelfth Night is a medieval pageant that pits good against evil, and, of course, concludes with an up-beat resolution.

As the action unfolds, Christmas tunes from the 200-voice Chorus of Westerly, led by founder George Kent, will be interspersed with the drama.

The show is part concert, part circus and part parade.

It opens with the antics of jester Michael Miclon, who will be juggling and performing sight gags. The Westerly Morris Men will take a turn with their traditional antler dance, and mezzo-soprano Paula Rockwell, who has performed often with the chorus, will be on hand with some vocal solos.

Jim Lawson, a Charlestown native who is now a professional actor in New York, returns to reprise his role as Father Christmas, and Twelfth Night favorite Jean Kopperud will once again take up her clarinet and dance about the stage.

The tradition of Twelfth Night in Westerly dates back to 1975, and now attracts fans from all over New England.

In modern times, Twelfth Night is when the Feast of Fools takes place, when people in the courts of Europe donned masks, dressed as someone else and watched the world turn topsy-turvy. A choir boy might celebrate a mock mass as a priest.

And that tradition sort of forms the centerpiece of the show, when a man and woman from the audience are selected to be king and queen and reign over the festivities. Cake is passed out among audience members, and those who find a bean in their pieces are crowned.

As always, the show ends with the traditional boar’s head procession up the center aisle of the chorus’ home, a former church.

Three performances of the show are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, at 1, 4 and 8 p.m. at the George Kent Performance Hall, 119 High St., Westerly. There will be a preview performance at the hall tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m.. A peasant’s feast of grilled marinated steak will be served Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. The cost of the meal is $16.

Tickets for the show itself range from $16 to $65, and the cost of the preview performance is $15. Call (401) 596-8663.

cgray@projo.com