Trunk or Treat Ideas 2022 [Decoration Guide]

Ahh, Halloween. It’s the time of year when kids don their best costumes and hunt for as much candy as they can. Come Halloween night, parents release their children to roam their neighborhoods on the prowl for candy. But another option rose in popularity lately, and many parents prefer it: trunk or treat. You probably heard about it before, or even participated in it. Whether you’re familiar with the concept, we’ll give you the scoop on what it’s all about. We’ll also give you some great trunk or treat ideas for you to try!

What is trunk or treat?

Trunk or treat is an alternative to traditional trick or treating. Cars loaded with candy in their trunks park in school or church parking lots (hence the name “trunk or treat”). Parents and guardians accompany their kids as they go from trunk to trunk stuffing their bags with precious sweets. People think it was started by churches to give kids a safer way to get their treats during the holiday. Many non-religious communities take part in it, too. Parents can keep a close eye on their children while the kids still get the trick-or-treating experience. Traditional trick or treating isn’t practical in some neighborhoods either, so this provides children with a fun Halloween experience. Parents also get the chance to catch up with their friends while their little ghouls celebrate. It’s a sweet deal for everyone! Besides, it’s exciting seeing everyone’s car decked out in cool trunk or treat decorations! But when is trunk or treat anyway? Is it on the 31st, too? Well, we’ll answer that for you!

When is trunk or treat?

Trunk or Treat normally doesn’t take place on Halloween, although it can. Schools and other communities often plan it for the Saturday or Sunday before the holiday. Some parents still enjoy traditional trick or treating on the 31st, so they like it when it’s on a different day. Sometimes it takes place at night, but it’s usually in the evening while it’s still light out. But how does it all work, you may ask? Don’t worry, we’ll tell you!

How does trunk or treat work?

A group (like a school or church) organizes the event and volunteers purchase candy, decorations, and other supplies. On that night, parents park their cars in the parking lot and begin decorating their open trunks. Once all the cars are decorated and the candy is in place, then the fun begins! Kids go from trunk to trunk, grabbing sweets and hanging out with friends.

Now that you know more about this fun alternative, you’re probably thinking of how to decorate! Do you need some trunk or treat decoration ideas? Or do you want to explore different trunk or treat themes? Don’t get overwhelmed, friends–we’ve got you covered with some easy trunk or treat ideas in all sorts of themes.

How to decorate for trunk or treat?

With all that knowledge under your belt, it’s time to decorate your trunk! But how exactly should you do it? We’ll give you some fantastic tips to make your trunk look frighteningly festive!

– Choosing a theme for your trunk adds character and ambiance to your whole setup. Sure, it’s fun to throw random decorations together, but picking a theme will immerse the kiddos in the fun.

– Use weather-resistant decorations to prevent your arrangement from getting destroyed if the weather is rough. Thankfully, all the decorations in our recommendations are weather-resistant, so you can enjoy your night worry-free!

Get Creative With These Do It Yourself Trunk or Treat Ideas

Halloween is a time to get creative with decorations, but it can be overwhelming with so many options to choose from. Which direction should you go with your setup? Scary? Cute? Not to fear, ghouls and ghasts! You’ll find all the best diy trunk or treat ideas for both options in this list we’ve concocted for you. Plus, these ideas all include trunk or treat kits as the base of the theme, making it easy to put everything together!

Scary Trunk or Treat Decorations Ideas to Spook and Surprise

Wanna give your trunk-or-treaters a fright this spooky season? After all, Halloween is about scares and spooks. Well, you’re in luck! We compiled plenty of scary ideas for trunk or treat that’ll send chills down your spine!

This Monster Trunk or Treat Will Make You Roar With Terror

Monsters make for a magnificent and malevolent trunk or treat theme. The monster trunk or treat car archway turns your trunk into a giant monster mouth ready to chomp on some treats! He put his victims up for everyone to see with the halloween full body posable skeleton . The blood decorations set strings together all the tools you’ll think he used on the skeletons (but he really just used his teeth). A scary friend hides behind the monster’s teeth: the halloween groundbreaker with bloodstains! He tagged along to keep kids away from his friend’s candy (and so he can take some for himself).

The monster installed some haunted window decor and halloween warning signs to keep candy hoarders away. He also brought a grim reaper animated candy bowl to guard the candy for him. If you get close, he’ll take your soul! The Reaper also brought along his little brother from the trick or treat bucket set to keep the candy safe. He’s not that good at keeping the sweets safe though, so take as many as you want!

Witch Trunk or Treat Ideas for a Bewitching Good Time

You can’t have Halloween without witches! This theme is the perfect choice for trunk or treat scary ideas. The witch door cover serves as the base for this bewitching theme, transforming your trunk into a creepy witch! The Haunted House Hanging Decorations frame her face well, don’t you think? The trunk witch left her witch broom with ribbons out in the open. It’s beautiful to look at, but don’t touch! It may just take you for the joyride of your life! Be sure to put the bat stickers all around her face and the rest of your car! They really bring out her eyes. Speaking of eyes, it seems our witch dumped her potion ingredients everywhere. How can she stew up trouble if the scary eyes aren’t in her cauldron? Even without the eyes, the large black halloween cauldron conjures tasty treats. The animated witch candy bowl is excited for candy, too, but she doesn’t want to share! She’ll cackle and shake if you get near her sweets, so be careful!

The light up pumpkin decor will illuminate your night as you raid the witch of all her cherished treats. She’s joined by her good friends, the jack o lantern. They keep her company as she waits for children to approach with pleas for candy. And of course, you can’t have a witch without black cats! The black cat crossing yard sign adds that special final touch to this witch setup. They keep an eye out for visitors who want to steal her sweets.

A Mummy Trunk Or Treat Idea to Wrap You Up

One of the best trunk or treat car ideas is the mummy! The mummy is a truly underrated creepy creature. Be honest, what’s scarier than a wrapped-up body rising from the ground after hundreds of years? (Almost sounds like me in the morning.) Mummify your car for the holidays with the mummy trunk or treat set. He’ll bring all his mummy friends along! His pal, the animated hanging cocoon corpse decoration likes to hang out with him. He’s trying to sleep, though–if you get too close, he’ll yell and make scary sounds! He likes to wrap himself up with a giant spiderweb to make himself extra cozy. The zombie groundbreaker tagged along to keep sneaky children away from the mummy trunk’s candy. He’ll scream and claw at you until you let his sweets rest in peace! The table mummy halloween decorations want to steal the other mummy’s thunder, and it seems to be working! He’s quite the scary soul, too.

A ton of their friends haven’t quite risen from the ground yet, but they’re trying their best. The mummy’s hand decor and the zombie arm lawn stakes will join the spooky fun soon enough! The mummies keep their candy stowed away in tombstone candy bags so kids don’t approach. Who wants undead candy, right? And to finish it all off, the mummy from the halloween yard stakes set sends off guests with a Happy Halloween.

Those trunks sure were scary! But scary isn’t for everyone during the Halloween season. Want some cute trunk or treat ideas instead? Read on to find out our adorable recommendations!

Cute Trunk or Treat Ideas to Warm Your Heart

Who says Halloween has to be scary? Some folks prefer a cuter atmosphere to the holiday, especially little kids. We’ve got some sickeningly sweet ideas that’ll make you go “aww”!

This Cat Trunk or Treat Idea is A-MEOW-zing!

Looking for the purr-fect trunk or treat car decorations? You came to the right place! This cat trunk or treat will nuzzle its way into your heart. First, turn your car into a cat with the cat trunk or treat set. Now all the other cats are ready to play! Hang some cat-themed punch balloons from the top to look for and greet guests. The car isn’t the only thing that’s been turned into a cat–your pumpkins changed, too! The foam pumpkin stickers transformed your gourds into playful felines. The witchy cat from the halloween yard signs set with different characters took a break from casting spells just so she could see you! She’s got a great perch on her tombstone.
Some teeny-weeny cats from the miniature pumpkins decoration set stopped by for a ghastly greeting. They’re super teeny, but you can see them if you look real close! Be sure to say hello! All the kitties wish to hand out candy with the halloween treat bags with handles and the halloween cellophane bags. These kitty-themed bags are the best choice to hand out your treats. The cats ensured to bring along their cat ears headband so the kids feel like cats, too! And check out the spooky cat yard signs hanging around the bottom, ready to snuggle and play!

Enchanting Unicorn Trunk or Treat

Unicorns? On Halloween!? What better way to make the night feel magical than with these mythical creatures? Stick on the easy unicorn trunk or treat set to magically transform your car into a beautiful unicorn. The unicorn balloon at the top brought lots of unicorn-themed goodies to share with the unicorn party supplies! Now everyone will feel the magic! She also brought some unicorn goody bags to make sure there’s enough to go around. The unicorn basket eagerly holds the candy and waits to share it with all the kids. Can’t have a magical time without balloons, can you? Check out all these cute colors in the latex balloons with ribbon set. Now that’s enchanting! To top it all off, why not wear the ride on unicorn costume to complete the look? (And while you’re browsing, be sure to check out these other inflatable costumes !)

Spin Your Web with this Spider Trunk or Treat

Let’s all agree that spiders are usually pretty icky. Sometimes they’re cute though, and this trunk or treat idea is a perfect example! You can’t turn your car into a spider without the spider trunk or treat set, so put that on first. Your car became a cute and charming spider! He toted along some animated hanging skulls covered with spider webs as a snack (He is still a spider, after all). He’s sharing with his younger brother and sisters, how nice! He’s gonna give everyone a warm welcome with his favorite sign from the corrugate yard sign stake set. His cousins modeled and posed for the sign! He brought lots of candy to share with the large spider candy bowl. He spun them himself just to hold treats for you! His brother, the spider bucket lit, wanted to help out this Halloween, so he came prepared with plenty of sweets. His pals, the realistic hairy spiders, also showed up to join the fun! They’re ready to have a hairy good time. And you can’t have spiders without webs, right? Be sure to drape your trunk with the triangle spider web. Gotta give the spiders a place to rest!

We hope we inspired you with these haunting and enticing trunk or treat ideas. These trunk or treat decorating kits aren’t just for cars, either! You can use them on doors, on the walls, anywhere you can think of. Don’t limit your imagination! Have an idea that wasn’t mentioned here? Check out these other halloween outdoor decorations today !