Trick or treating is exciting, but it doesn’t have to be the only way to celebrate Halloween. Trunk or Treat events are fun for the whole family. In fact, you can have safe and extraordinary trunk or treat your children will love.
Going from home to home, holding out bags for candy, and saying “trick or treat” has always been an exciting adventure for children of all ages. When autumn leaves start to fall, kids prepare for those Halloween festivities.
But there are other ways to celebrate the holiday besides trick or treating. Some families prefer a more open environment, filled with treats and fun for everyone. This sort of festival is called Trunk or Treat.
What is a Trunk or Treat event?
For those who aren’t familiar with the Trunk or treat event, here’s a quick break-down of the festivities. Just like children dress up in all sorts of costumes, family cars are decorated in various scary, fun, or colorful themed ‘car costumes and parked together in a designated place.
Inside each vehicle, there is candy and other treats. Owners of the automobiles are encouraged to also dress in costume in keeping with the holiday themes. In some small towns, fire trucks and other city vehicles come out as well to amaze smaller children.
Trunk or treats are local events. Some have been wildly successful. They don’t just focus entirely on decorating automobiles but also focus on simple pleasures like foods, hot chocolate. A Trunk or Treat event can really host hours of entertainment to warm a chilly October night.
Trunk or Treat and the Benefits
Trick or treating is still something children talk about year-round. Unfortunately, times have changed, and trick or treating has gathered some unwelcomed negative aspects from the children ubiquitously. Trick or treating was often conducted all over town, at stranger’s houses as well as family friends, and this meant driving or walking for miles. Rumors of nefarious activities surrounding candy have parents terrified.
When it comes to trunk or treat events, all these negative aspects can be pretty well eliminated, as an event like this is closely monitored in one area. It’s just a win-win for everyone.
Spending Time with Family
Unlike trick or treating or other Fall festivals, trunk or treat events are fun for the whole family. Checking out the unusual and unique designs of each automobile can be a treat. Sometimes, these themes even bring back childhood memories.
Some festivities of this kind also cater foods like burgers and hot dogs. Let’s not forget about games, which are a great way of bonding between children and parents.
How to organize a Trunk or Treat
The initial step towards planning an event for trunk or treat is securing license, if needed and a location for the event. If you are already a member of a church or faculty member at a school, then setting this up shouldn’t be that difficult. However, if you are just the average joe with a trunk or treat theme idea, talking with a town council member to get permission would be best.
When you have permission to use a location for trunk or treat, you can begin the process or gathering support. Call friends, family members, or members of your church, and faculty. A small fundraiser can help develop the foundation of your trunk or treat so things can go smoothly when the time comes.
As you gather resources, you can work on extras and ideas for food preparations. After everything is set up, have a blast with the trunk or treat.
Is hosting for you?
Well, the trunk or treat is one of the most fun-filled variety events around. Even if you’ve never been a fan of Halloween, you can still enjoy hosting and directing all the fun. And if you don’t want to host alone, that’s fine, groups can be good too.
Hosting involves organization, imagination, and energy. The basic duties are making calls, visits, securing a good location, and creating a proper arrangement for the event. Then, when the event starts, hosting is about keeping things in order.
Locations Galore
Finding the right location for your trunk or treat event will depend on how many vehicles, large trucks, and vendors plan to come. If you’re going to have fire trucks and tractors, then you will need to use a church or school with a huge parking lot. This is where fairgrounds are good ideas!
If you only expect a handful of trunk or treat automobiles, then a small park is fine. You and your support team will have to keep a list of all events and equipment to map out each location. Remember, too much space is better than not enough.
Activities to enjoy
There are so many activities you can enjoy during the trunk or treat. Along with all the thrills and chills, treats and candy, you can also enjoy things such as face painting, balloon animals, and even magic shows. To be honest, the list is endless since activities in these events grow every year.
One idea for family entertainment is the projector movie. Sometimes, if weather conditions allow, a family-friendly Halloween or fall-themed movie can be viewed outside on a huge projector. Popcorn is a great accompaniment.
Event Costumes
There’s never a shortage of ways to buy, rent, or create costumes. Most towns have basic stores with a small selection of Halloween costumes. The larger the city, the more costumes you will find. But, if you want to think ahead, ordering costumes online is a wonderful idea for trunk or treat events. As you know, costume websites are also endless. Another idea is to make your own costume. This can be fun and involve the whole family in a creative endeavor and engage them.
Keep in mind, the automobiles need costumes too! Put loads of energy in your automobile’s costume and theme. After all, this matters a great deal to the event.
Games, Games, and More Games
So, you’ve heard of bobbing for apples and other such traditional Halloween favorites. Well, there are many other games being discovered all the time. One game that’s great for Halloween trunk or treat is the no-hands eating race. The objective of this game is to tie a donut from a string, tie your hands behind your back, and race with others to see who can finish the donut first. It’s a hilarious game which will fill you with belly laughs.
Costume contests aren’t exactly games, but they can be competitive, so make sure you bring your best costume or design. Of course, the winner of the costume gets a prize. The best dressed vehicle also gets a prize as well.
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Finding a Sponsor for the Event
If you live in a small to medium sized town, it’s easy to find a sponsor for your event. Local businesses love to sponsor trunk or treats, especially if they sell treats, including candy or gummies. Sponsors like this are given the opportunity to pass out their merchandise for possibly hundreds or children. Sponsoring is a plus for local businesses, and the community.
You can find sponsors online as well. Simple search for ‘Trunk or Treat Event sponsors’ to find a selection of companies that may be willing to help you out.
1. Recruiting a host
If you don’t want to host a trunk of treat, you can recruit someone. Like stated before, some church officials or faculty members are great recruits. Of course, you will have to make sure you cover all bases with your prospective host, this includes all rules and regulations including registration of vehicles, and basic conduct rules.
2. Recruiting judges for contests
It’s quite simple when recruiting judges for contests such as the costume variety. First of all, no parents, or relatives of participating children should be considered for judging. Sometimes it’s even best to recruit someone who may be visiting from out of town. This prevents favoritism.
Celebrating Trunk or Treat the Safe way
In our world today, things have changed. Instead of bustling and bumping crowds, we have to celebrate the holidays in different ways. One of the most important things to consider when hosting a trunk or treat, is the safety of our families. No matter the sacrifice, we must take care of ourselves during the holidays.
Precautions to follow
Since everything has changed, we must follow various precautions for trunk or treat. These rules are simple but can be hard to turn into habits. So, using the precautions everyday will help you use the same precautions when it’s time for trunk or treat festivities.
The Basics of Safety
There are a few things you should know before enjoying a trunk or treat event. Always use proper hygiene. Carry a portable bottle of hand sanitizer and wear a mask. And finally, keep the 6 ft rule distance when enjoying these events. I know it’s hard to stay away from friends but doing so will help you enjoy many other events in the future. Let’s protect our community and loved ones.
Let’s enjoy Trunk or Treat
Are you ready for Halloween? Consider visiting, hosting, or helping with a trunk or treat this year. They are some of the most exciting events of the autumn season. Even though the weather may be cool, you can find ways to stay busy with all those activities and have the best time of your life. Hope you get to experience the trunk or treat soon!
