“You can just have the Trunk-or-Treat part outside or you can have a combined indoor/outdoor party.”
Catching On
More and more churches seem to be holding a Trunk-or-Treat as a way to bring families together in safe and fun environment on Halloween. What is a Trunk-or-Treat? It’s when several families get together at the church building, park their cars in the parking lot, open up the trunks of their cars, and kids come around to each car to Trunk-or-Treat instead of going house to house to Trick-or-Treat.
The New York Times helped spread the word with an article about this new trend in 2006 and it has grown ever since as a new church family activity. Some recommendations on how to design your own event here.
You can just have the Trunk-or-Treat part outside or you can have a combined indoor/outdoor party. Here are some fun Halloween activities you can do:
Tips for Trunk-or-Treat
- Let people know the estimated number of children that will be there so they can know how much candy to bring.
- If Halloween is on a Sunday you can hold the Trunk-or-Treat activity on Saturday the 30th.
- Those who don’t have trunks (or cars) can also hand out candy by standing in-between the cars.
- People can even decorate their cars!
Ideas for Indoor Halloween Activities
- Pumpkin Carving Contest: People can bring their previously carved pumpkins to be judged and prizes can be given out at the end.
- Bobbing for Apples: A barrel, water, apples, and lots of towels.
- Trunk Decorating Contest: You could make this an optional activity for those who would like to decorate the trunk of their vehicle for the Trunk-or-Treat part of the activity and prizes can be given out.
Sharon Ely Pearson is a 30+ year Christian formation veteran, currently serving as an editor and the Christian Formation Specialist for Church Publishing Incorporated. Wife, mother, grandmother, and author, she enjoys connecting people with each other and the resources they need for growing in the knowledge and love of Jesus.
