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35+ AMAZING Trunk or Treat Ideas for Halloween

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The new trend for Halloween is a Trunk or Treat! Decorate your car or SUV with one of these amazing Trunk or Treat 2023 Ideas and be the talk of your neighborhood, school, or church! Get into the Halloween spirit with one of these clever Trunk or Treat ideas to celebrate Trick or Treat!

The BEST Trunk or Treat Ideas curated by Pineapple Paper Co.

What is Trunk or Treat?

Trunk or Treat is a relatively new idea that takes ALL of the running through dark neighborhoods out of trick or treating! A Trunk or Treat usually takes place in a parking lot, generally of a church or public meeting area of a town. Everyone shows up, pops the trunk of their cars or SUVs and decorates them in a variety of themes! It’s basically a big trunk party!

And instead of Trick or Treaters, you get Trunk or Treaters!

All of the kids can walk around to all of the cars and gather their candy in a short amount of time. Everyone has a great time at a trunk or treat event and it’s safer alternative than traditional trick or treating with treat bags (although I do love trick or treating!!) It has become very popular with churches, schools, and in neighborhoods where everyone wants to keep a closer eye on their kids. It’s truly an amazing idea.

Trunk or treats also make social distancing a breeze! You can keep cars and kids separated with a simple plan, plus offer hand sanitizer in high traffic areas. It is definitely a great thing to emerge out of the last couple of years.

My neighborhood is a popular place to go on Halloween night, so we spend a lot of time coming up with trick or treat decoration ideas then decorate our whole house and have a great time handing out treats. But a couple of years ago I had my first chance to participate in a Trunk or Treat, and it was awesome! Everyone got into the idea of making some easy (but AMAZING!) Halloween car decorations, and it was so fun walking around and checking them out.

What do you do at a Trunk or Treat?

All of the participating cars and trucks park in designated spaces and set up their trunk or treat station. A lot of times these events are held in the church parking lot or another safe place in a local community.

If you live in rural areas, it is the perfect way to bring everyone together so the kids can get more treats without having to drive or walk around for hours at a time! I have also seen a bunch of families get together in their neighborhood and sit at the entrance so the kids can grab a ton of Halloween candy and then move on to the next block within walking distance!

It can be simple or as extravagant as the kids’ Halloween costumes – but I’m definitely a fan of amazing Trunk or Treat ideas! The kids that are trick or treating arrive during a given time and they walk around to each vehicle to gather candy. Instead of door to door it is trunk to trunk! You definitely want to plan on having a lot of candy if you are going to a large event!

Clever Trunk or Treating Ideas

A Trunk or Treat event can also be a fun idea for a contest! There can be awards for the most fun trunk, creative trunk, or best treat theme! An attempt to create the best trunk is a fun way to get the community involved in a safe environment for a fun event!

If you’ve got a car or SUV (or even a Truck or Treat) to decorate this year, look no further! I’ve gathered up some of my FAVORITE Trunk or Treat themes and ideas to give you tons of inspiration to have the best Halloween trunk decorations in the parking lot!

There are a ton of easy trunk or treat decorating ideas that you can adapt to make your own decor – so get excited and check out all of the amazing Halloween trunk decorating ideas below. There are simple decorations as well as creative themes that will blow your mind away! The entire family will love this Halloween activity because there are endless themes to explore!

Popular Trunk or Treat Ideas

There are so many Truck or Treat Ideas to be had, but these are some of my favorite trunk or treat ideas 2023! Some of my favorite themed trunks are movie related, but some of these trunk or treat ideas are unique (think: flamingos!) The most important thing to remember is to be creative! You might just end up with a yellow brick road or a Christmas trunk.

Hocus Pocus is one of my favorite Halloween movies and I used my SUV trunk to create a spooky scene with Halloween decorations I already had on hand, plus others that I crafted. I tried to get my black cat to pose for photos, but he wasn’t having it. Ha! These are some great trunk or treat decorating ideas for a parent group or group of adults, because you can wear costumes and create a scene that kids will love.

Hocus Pocus Trunk or Treat
Hocus Pocus Trunk or Treat Ideas
Create the most amazing Halloween Trunk or Treat this year with my Hocus Pocus Trunk or Treat Ideas! Find the items I used and get the DIY projects to make your own Trunk or Treat that is Hocus Pocus themed!
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Mario Brothers Trunk or Treat
From Frog Prince Paperie: This year our theme is Super Mario Brothers, so I’ve got a few Super Mario Brothers trunk or treat ideas for you to steal for your own–they’d also be great for Super Mario birthday party.
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Harry Potter is the perfect theme for the car trunk. It’s a great way to show off your favorite parts of the book or movie series and is a VERY popular theme in recent years. It is easy to find family costumes, and Harry Potter sweet treats are such a fun addition to a great trunk. Definitely one of my favorite trunk or treat ideas!

Quidditch Trunk or Treat: DIY Family Fun
Putting together a quidditch themed trunk for Trunk or Treat. DIY fun for the whole family. Step by step instructions of how we put it all together.
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How creative is this pirate theme? Some cardboard boxes can turn your own car trunk into a pirate ship, then add skeletons and a treasure chest for bonus points!

Pirate Ship Trunk or Treat Idea
Yo-ho, yo-ho it’s a Pirate Ship trunk or treat for me! This Halloween we are transforming our trunk into an interactive pirate ship complete with pirate skeletons, games, treasure and of course lots of candy!
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This “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” themed car trunk brings me all the nostalgic feels. Instead of traditional candy, I would give out a treat kit with chocolate rocks – then every kid could say “I Got a Rock!” as they walked away.

It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown Trunk or Treat
I let my daughter pick the theme for our trunk and she was adamant in her choice of the classic Halloween cartoon “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”. Good grief! We decided to re-create the pumpkin patch with Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin, along with the other characters dressed up in their trick-or-treating costumes.
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DIY Hogwarts Themed Trunk or Treat
Are you looking for some great ideas for how to decorate your Trunk Harry Potter style for your upcoming Trunk or Treat?
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Have these ideas convinced you that maybe door to door Trick or Treating is a thing of the past? Don’t worry, there are a lot more trunk decorations for you to look at – keeping scrolling and get ready to hand out that candy!

Throw in some Christmas lights with this Toy Story themed trunk or treat and you would think you were right inside Andy’s room!

Toy Story Trunk or Treat Ideas
As you can see, our trunk was “Andy’s room”. If you don’t know, Andy is the boy that owns the toys and plays with them. I found pictures of his room online and tried to replicate his bed, cloud wallpaper and wall art. The “bed” is a 6 ft table and then I covered it with a blanket and some of the kids’ toy story toys.
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The best part about this amazing Alice in Wonderland theme is the huge playing cards! It’s really fun to use items that are unexpected and DIY!

Alice in Wonderland Trunk or Treat
I absolutely adore the story of Alice in Wonderland and have always wanted to use this theme for a party, so when my daughter told me she wanted to be Alice for Halloween, I knew exactly what my Trunk or Treat theme would be!
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Retro Snack Bar Trunk or Treat
Looking for a non-Halloween themed idea for your Trunk or Treat set up? I have you covered with this fun and unique Retro Snack Bar Trunk or Treat idea, so let’s get started!
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Trolls Trunk or Treat
Create this adorable Trolls themed Trunk or Treat with simple craft supplies!
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Shark Trunk or Treat Ideas
This Halloween, dominate the trunk-or-treat with a menacing great white shark theme. Make the shark, then tempt trick-or-treaters by filling its mouth with all their favorite sweets.
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Beetlejuice Trunk or Treat
It’s time once again for our annual Trunk or Treat Blog Hop! And this year, I made a Beetleuice Trunk or Treat.
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Nightmare Before Christmas Trunk or Treat
This year, my daughter, Anabelle and I decided to go with a more modern classic {as contradictory as that sounds!} with Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas!
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This Elsa and Anna Frozen themed trunk or treat is a kid’s dream! Younger kids would immediately know and love this trunk, and it is a fun alternative to a traditional Halloween theme.

Frozen 2 Trunk or Treat Ideas
The best part about this adorable Frozen 2 themed Trunk or Treat is that you can buy the whole kit from Party City!
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Flamingo Trunk or Treat
This year, I was really into flamingos….I went to San Diego in April and visited the zoo during my stay and got to see these beautiful pink birds and was instantly hooked. Everything was just flamingo this and that for me after that trip. So, I figured, it would just make sense to round up my Halloween with a Flamingo themed trunk or treat!
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Bob Ross Unique Trunk or Treat Ideas
This was my first time decorating our car for a Trunk-or-Treat. My original plan was to have a pumpkin theme. Like, pumpkin everything. Orange everywhere.
But then. BUT THEN…
Pazely & I stumbled across a Bob Ross costume at a local retail store–& it was over.
Pumpkin WHAT?! Orange WHO?!
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LATEST POSTS:

Super Hero Trunk or Treat – Everyday Party Magazine
Super Hero Trunk or Treat with Oriental Trading Company.
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Retro Diner Trunk or Treat
When it was announced that there was going to be one I new immediately that I wanted to do something with a 50’s theme because I had so many props from a previous party and I love to reuse supplies as much as I can.
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Hawaiian Luau Trunk or Treat
Hawaiian Luau Trunk or Treat – Jessica Lynn Writes
These fun and easy trunk or treat ideas for Halloween can come together in a jiffy and take minimal (if any) actual work.
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Trunk or Treat Candy Cottage
The idea for our Candy Cottage was born out of the fact that my husband’s parents had this wonderful giant box from having just purchased a new stove. We all know how much children love to play with boxes. We decided to dress up the box in a way that all children would enjoy and make a Trunk or Treat design that was a little different. We wanted to keep our design fun, colorful and, friendly. From the child’s perspective, it’s all about filling their bucket with candy so why not make a candy cottage!
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Harry Potter Trunk or Treat Ideas
When Oriental Trading asked me if I wanted to partner on a post for Halloween, I jumped at the chance. I love how our Harry Potter trunk turned out and with the included printables and links, you will be able to make your own in a flash.
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CarnEVIL Trunk or Treat Theme
Tonight we participated in one of my favorite Halloween traditions, the annual Trunk or Treat at the church. I look forward to coming up with a fun new theme for our trunk each year. Previous themes include a Double, Double Toil & Trouble, Black Hat Bake Shoppe and Gypsy Caravan. But, this year’s CarnEVIL Trunk or Treat theme is officially my favorite! Come one, come all and let’s take a look at my favorite Halloween tradition.
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More Halloween Ideas:

The Black Hat Bake Shoppe Trunk or Treat by Giggles Galore
I know I say this a lot, but this little party may be one of my favorites. The idea for this witches bakery all started back in June after my conversation with Better Homes and Garden about Trunk or Treat tips. While on vacation my mom and I were talking about what we could do this year to top the previous years Double Double, Toil and Trouble trunk. That’s when we started creating creepy baked goods that would be served from a vintage and mysterious bakery with a touch of whimsy and sophisticated charm.
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This Mad Scientist theme is one of my favorite trunks to date – if you can get someone to play the part like my friend’s daughter did, you’ll definitely be in the running for best trunk!

Mad Science Trunk or Treat
One of my favorite things during the Halloween season to participate in is my church’s Halloween Fest / Trunk-or-Treat. Everyone rolls into the parking lot with their cars, pops open their trunks, then proceeds to decorate the back of their cars in crazy themes. The kids come through in their costumes and trick-or-treat at the cars. It’s a great way for spread out communities to come together for a celebration! And where mad science trunk or treat ideas fit perfectly.
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The Sandlot Trunk or Treat
Love this creative Trunk or Treat Idea!
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Ghostbusters Trunk or Treat Theme
This is one of my favorite Trunk or Treat ideas I’ve seen – and we just happen to have a Ghostbusters costume!
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Minion Trunk or Treat – YouTube
With three kids that are either in, or have gone through preschool, we have run the trunk or treat gamut. Up until now, I have happily enjoyed these activities from the sidelines, letting other parents do the hard work of decorating their cars….
Watch this Video
Bat Cavern Trunk or Treat
Have you ever done a Trunk or Treat? I noticed them popping up a few years ago, and they’ve only been growing in popularity since then. It’s such a neat idea that allows groups of people (churches, schools, etc.) with people who don’t necessarily live in the same neighborhood enjoy a trick-or-treating experience together.
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Super Hero Trunk or Treat
I have done a spooky version, a gross version, and a more tame version. This year, I changed it up, and I went with a Super Hero theme. My son is graduating this June, and his graduation party will be comic book themed, so I will be able to reuse a lot of the props from this shoot!
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Bug Bistro Creepy Trunk or Treat
Just like last year, all hop participants were provided Halloween product by Oriental Trading Company. If you haven’t checked out their Halloween store before you simply HAVE to! I had an absolute blast shopping for my Bug Bistro Trunk or Treat. I found some fantastic display pieces, a black-rimmed geometric terrarium candle holders for my “candy worm farm”, champagne glasses, black acrylic ice, scorpion skeletons, BUGS and so much more!
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Day of the Dead Trunk-or-Treat Ideas – Lynlees
Decorate a Day of the Dead trunk-or-treat this Halloween inspired by the Mexican tradition of celebrating and honoring loved ones who have been lost!
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Frozen Trunk or Treat Ideas
Who doesn’t love Frozen?! All of the kids will be rushing to this Disney inspired Trunk or Treat.
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Halloween Mickey Trunk or Treat
In the meantime, we are prepping for a fun week with various festivities at my daughter’s school, including their annual trunk-or-treat. I’ve had so much fun coming up with themes and decorations for dressing up our car the past couple of years, from It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown to last year’s Nightmare Before Christmas! In brainstorming ideas for this year’s motif, my daughter, Anabelle and I came up with a Disney theme in honor of our upcoming trip to The Happiest Place on Earth! Our focus was on a Mickey and Minnie trunk-or-treat, of course!
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Glam Cemetery Trunk or Treat
Yeah! It’s Halloween season! Muah ha ha ha ha! Today I am happy to share with you an awesome blog hop filled with fun trunk or treat ideas from some amazing bloggers.
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Toy Story Trunk or Treat Ideas
Toy Story is one of my kids’ favorites – check out those cool toy blocks!
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Monster Trunk or Treat Ideas
Can you believe it is October already? Time for pumpkins, fall leaves and Halloween. I am honored to be sharing my Monster City Trunk or Treat display as part of this year’s Trunk or Treat blog hop, hosted by Tikkido and sponsored by Oriental Trading. Be sure to check out the links to everyone blog hop contribution at the end of this post.
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No Tricks Just Treats Adorable Trunk or Treat Idea
This year I thought it would be fun to switch things up and do something a little more on the cute side.

I have a “No Tricks, Just Treats” Halloween invitation in the shop and really love it, so I thought that might be a fun theme to use for our Trunk or Treat.

A theme full of sweets and treats? Count me in!
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Coco Trunk or Treat Ideas
This “Coco” Day of the Dead Party theme would be PERFECT as a Halloween Trunk or Treat Theme!
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Magic Trunk or Treat Theme
If your fall weekends include at least one meal served on the tailgate of a truck and your favorite holiday is Halloween, you will fall in love with Trunk or Treating—the ultimate Halloween tailgate! No burgers, ribs or wings. Just the three Cs—Cars, Candy, and Costumes!
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The Working Dead Trunk or Treat
It’s that time again! Time for the Halloween Trunk or Treat Blog Hop sponsored by Oriental Trading! I’ve joined my party blogging friends to bring you lots of fun ideas for your Trunk or Treat! This is one of my favorite blog hops and I’m excited to be sharing a fun theme, “The Working Dead” idea with you!
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So many great trunk or treat ideas can be brought to life with products from Oriental Trading. I love this Wizard of Oz Trunk or Treat complete with a yellow brick road leading to the car trunk full of treats!

Wizard of Oz Yellow Brick Road Truck or Treat – Oriental Trading
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Do all of these trunk or treat ideas have you wanting to plan your own trunk or treat event? Share your favorite themed trunk in the comments!

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The BEST Trunk or Treat Ideas curated by Pineapple Paper Co.

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about charynn

ABOUT CHARYNN

Hi, y’all! I’m Charynn, the owner and designer of Pineapple Paper Co. I’m a mom of four kids (two girls and two boys) living in Pittsburgh. I love hand lettering, anything southern, cocktails, and of course, pineapples! I am excited to share my SVG files, printables, and craft projects with you! The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality, and I welcome y’all to my little corner of the internet. Read more…

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