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Trunk-or-Treat Checklist

Easy 24 items · 3 hours
testuser's avatar
testuser Published 4 days ago
Lifestyle

A trunk-or-treat puts the candy in a parking lot. Families park in rows, open their trunks or hatchbacks, decorate them, and kids walk from car to car instead of door to door. Churches and schools host many of them, often on an evening close to Halloween.

This checklist is for the person bringing a car. It covers signing up, decorating the trunk without marking the paint, how much candy to bring, and getting the car out of a lot full of small children at the end.

Check that your hatch stays up on its own before the night. Gas struts weaken with age and cold, and a hatch that drifts down while kids lean in for candy can come down on a child. A broom handle or a hatch prop fixes it.

Progress
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  1. Sign up with the organizer — Some events cap the number of cars or assign spots.
  2. Ask for the arrival time, setup window and finish time
  3. Ask about rules on themes, scary decorations and engines running — Events aimed at young children often ask for nothing gory, and many want engines off once the kids arrive.
  4. Ask how many kids came last year — That number sets how much candy you need.
  5. Pick a theme that fits your trunk opening — Measure the opening first. A minivan or SUV hatch gives you a stage, while a sedan trunk works better with decorations spilling out onto the ground.
  6. Test that your hatch or trunk lid stays fully open
  7. Use magnets, suction hooks or removable hooks on the car, not tape on the paint — Strong tape can lift paint or leave residue.
  8. Use battery-powered lights — Running lights off the car's power outlet for hours with the engine off can leave you with a flat battery at the end.
  9. Pack spare batteries for every light
  10. Do a test setup in the driveway and take a photo — The photo is your packing map on the night.
  11. Buy candy for the expected crowd, plus extra — Individually wrapped pieces only.
  12. Add a bowl of non-food treats for kids with allergies — Stickers, pencils or glow bracelets. A teal pumpkin on display tells families you have them.
  13. Plan your own costume to match the theme
  14. Pack a folding chair, warm layers and a flashlight — You will be standing still in a parking lot after dark for two hours or more.
  15. Pack a trash bag, wipes and tape for quick repairs
  16. Arrive at the start of the setup window
  17. Set the parking brake and switch the engine off
  18. Keep cords, stakes and props out of the walking lane — Kids watch the trunks, not their feet.
  19. Hand out candy from beside the trunk, and keep kids from climbing in
  20. Pace the candy so you still have some at the end
  21. Pack up only after the organizer calls the end
  22. Walk around the car before you start it — Look under and behind it for kids, dropped candy bags and props.
  23. Wait until families have cleared the lot, then drive out slowly
  24. Note what worked and how much candy was left, for next year
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