5 family outings

For an event that doesn’t stay in any one place for long, the circus sure has reached the status of institution. The iconic big-top tent– a marvel in itself– houses one of the most frenetic, colorful, graceful and daring shows that towns big and small are likely to behold all year; in fact, new laws in the pipeline propose that keeping a child from a circus borders on negligence. This year’s Circus Vargas installment reveals Spanish influences emanating from new owners-performers, the Flying Tabares trapeze family. Their elevated act comes complemented by a crew of clowns, trampoline acrobats, an equestrian ballerina, a bullfighter and more. [WR]

7:30pm Friday; 1:30pm, 4:30pm, 7:30pm Saturday; 1pm, 4pm, 7pm Sunday; 7pm Monday. 395 Old Natividad Road, Salinas. $15-$45 kids 2-10; $20-$45 general. 877-468-3861, http://www.circusvargas.org.

An inspiring sort of fall classic hits Carmel Valley’s Earthbound just in time for Halloween, complete with pumpkin-carving demos, squash and pumpkin tastings, hay rides and all the fresh offerings we’ve come to expect from the mother of organic good times. Across town, DMC hosts a family-friendly community Halloween fest bursting with pumpkins. Costume contests consume participants, as do unique trick-or-treating oppo’s around the many stores of this outdoor mall. Together the two great venues offer seasonally ideal ways to harvest family-sized fun. [NC]

Harvest Festival: 11am–3pm. 7250 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. Free. 625-6219, http://www.ebfarm.com; Pumpkin Pandemonium: 3-7pm. Highway 1 at Munras Avenue. Free. 373-2705, http://www.delmontecenter.com.

Bring the kids to a celebration of the Christmas spirit. With Dickens-style singers in period costumes wandering the streets of Oldtown, floats from nearly 100 organizations (that’s a lot of floats, folks) and giant balloons of the nutcracker, a holiday penguin and a wildly oversized ornament that’ll be sucking up more than 6,000 cubic feet of helium, the kids are sure to come away with a rush of excitement that’ll fuel them through the holidays. [EK]

6pm. Main Street, Salinas. Free. 758-0725.

Sure, inhaling nutmeg is one way to pursue a holiday trip, but here’s another option for the family: the 22nd annual run of the classic children’s story about a boy and his partnership with a stuffed rabbit that comes to life. Kids will love it, and the expert theatrics might make adults wonder who slipped psilocybin in the eggnog. [JK]

7:30pm Friday; 2pm, 7:30pm Saturday. 100 Campus Center, Seaside. $15-$45. 582-4580, http://worldtheater.csumb.edu.

Don’t feel bad if you’ve haven’t keyed the kids in on the party that envelops all of downtown Monterey with music, poetry, food, performance and other versions of whole-hearted, wholesome fun. Just realize you’ll feel a lot better after you see the grins on the ankle biters’ faces after they’ve strapped on their handcrafted hats, designed their own art installations, run alongside the invigorating parade, and sung loudly with the endless local artists until the clock hits ’09. [MCA]

3pm-midnight. Downtown Monterey. Price TBA. 373-4778, http://www.firstnightmonterey.org.