Trunk-or-Treat: A Festive Fall Event

If you're looking for a fun fall event, consider a Trunk-or-Treat event. Held in your ministry's parking lot, it offers a safe and controlled environment for families to enjoy fellowship and community.

The idea is to decorate the trunks of various vehicles and distribute candy in a personalized and fun way. Children can go car to car, receive candy, and enjoy the themes and decorations. Trunk-or-treats also offer an opportunity to reach out to the community with the Gospel and a positive message about your church or school.

Create safe spaces for people and cars

You can help create distance between cars and people by staggering occupied spaces in a parking lot or by making sure vehicles are at least six feet apart.

You’ll want to clearly designate and secure separate areas for the following:

Decorated cars participating in the trunk-or-treat
Parking for families who are bringing their kids
An area for games, food, or other activities.

To prevent accidents that can happen when children mix with cars:

Designate a time for people to decorate their cars in place before the event starts and a time to pull their cars out after the event ends. This minimizes car movement during the event.
Remind participants to keep their cars turned off for the entire event.
Ensure all children are a safe distance away before allowing cars to move.
Watch for children darting into unsecured areas.

Safety Tip: If your trunk-or-treat event includes hands-on activities, provide a hand-washing station for children and adults.

Train volunteers on safety procedures

Many volunteers will be necessary for the event to proceed smoothly. Consider how many you will need to do the following:

Guide decorated vehicles to their spaces for the trunk-or-treat
Direct traffic in and out of your parking lot
Control the flow of participants
Instruct all volunteers how to distribute treats in a sanitary way
Allow only prepackaged treats to be given away
Require the use of hand sanitizer by people distributing treats
Hand out treats individually, rather than letting multiple children grab candy from a bowl

Inform guests about rules

Have children follow a clearly marked, one-way path through the trunk-or-treat area.
Require parental supervision for all children.
Ask parents to inspect treats before children eat them.
Urge everyone to respect the designated areas for treats and games to avoid accidents in the parking lot.

Brainstorm ways to ramp up the fun

Once you have taken the time to manage all the potential risks you can identify, consider incorporating some of these ideas to ramp up the “fun” factor.

Have a trunk decorating contest. See who can create the most elaborate (ugly/beautiful/you-name-it) vehicle. Award a prize to the winner.
Announce a theme. Encourage people to dress in costumes and/or decorate their trunks in a way that matches the theme. Consider a traveling trophy, bragging rights, or a photo gallery on social media.

Related resources

Posted September 24, 2020. Updated August 2023.

The information provided in this article is intended to be helpful, but it does not constitute legal advice and is not a substitute for the advice from a licensed attorney in your area. We strongly encourage you to regularly consult with a local attorney as part of your risk management program.

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