25 DIY Trunk or Treat Ideas for Cars and Trucks in 2023
Get set to win Halloween with these easy projects that won't break your budget!
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Halloween will be here before you can say "Boo!" (seriously, can you believe how fast the summer flew by?) and with it comes some of the year's biggest fun: scary movies, treats galore, costumes for the kiddos—and us grown-ups, too—and decorating the house inside and out. But can you ever really have too many Halloween activities? We say "No way!"—which is why we've rounded up the best Trunk or Treat ideas for Halloween 2023.
If you haven't heard of autumn's latest and greatest tradition, it basically involves taking trick or treating on the road, often to a church or school parking lot. Community members, friends, and neighbors dress up their vehicle trunks and cargo spaces for the holiday and hand out goodies to all who come calling. The whole thing has the feel of a street festival crossed with a parade, with a heaping helping of block party thrown in, and it's an absolute blast.
A big part of the pleasure is seeing how everyone has outfitted their cars, SUVs, and trucks with themed decor, as seen in the outstanding Trunk or Treat examples we've collected below. From ideas based on pop culture including Super Mario Bros. and Harry Potter, to stellar settings re-creating an Egyptian tomb and a spider's den, each of these projects is a sure-fire witchy season winner. Whether you're a Trunk or Treat first-timer or an old pro, you'll definitely find one to help you get your haunt on this Halloween.
Garden Gnomes
There's no place like gnome (sorry, we just couldn't resist), especially for Trunk or Treat. Believe it or not, this garden, including the man-eating plants, was mostly DIY'ed with foam and other craft staples.
See more at Frog Prince Paperie.
Carnival
Merge big top fun with Halloween for a "carnevil" that won't be too frightening for little kids or too intense for the church Trunk or Treat. Classic retro-look popcorn boxes add the finishing touch.
See more at Michelle's Party Plan-It.
Football Tailgate
For this year's event, how about combining autumn's best offerings (football and Halloween, natch) into a festive tribute to everyone's favorite game? After all, if you're a die-hard fan, chances are you already have all the merch from your favorite team needed to dress your display brilliantly.
Alice in Wonderland
"We're all mad here" for this Alice in Wonderland Trunk or Treat that goes down the rabbit hole with mostly store-purchased decor. The topiaries behind Alice and the Mad Hatter were handmade from green tissue fans, red card stock circles and hand-drawn urns.
See more at A Lovely Design.
RELATED: Alice in Wonderland Costume Ideas for the Most Whimsical Halloween Ever
Egyptian Tomb
Perfect props, like the nifty Anubis dog statues, are the key to realizing a petrifying pharaoh's tomb. We also love the menacing mummy mask accessorized with bugs spray-painted gold—and lots of gauze bandages, of course.
See more at Fern and Maple.
Harry Potter
Trunk or treaters will get a kick out of visiting Hogwarts thanks to magical on-theme decorations such as flying keys, candy-filled wands, owls galore and even a Monster Book of Monsters.
See more at Tikkido.
No Tricks Just Treats
Here's another project sure to appeal to the littles. Brightly hued balloons, a colorful sign, yummy cotton candy on stands and a donut tree (we want!) all give a vibe more sweet than scary.
See more at Jen T by Design.
Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice just never goes out of style for Halloween—especially with the sequel set to debut next year. This blogger DIY'ed just about everything needed to recreate the character's iconic gravesite, including the light-up sign.
See more at Tikkido.
Peanuts Great Pumpkin
What could be better than a visit from the Great Pumpkin on Halloween? Trunk or treating with the Peanuts crew, of course! Thanks to a few store-purchased cardboard cutouts, you don't have to be handy to make happen.
See more at Intelligent Domestications.
Haunted Ghost Town
Give your haunted Trunk or Treat Old West flair this Halloween by outfitting prop skeletons with cowboy hats and neckerchiefs. Then, simply drop in a few hay bakes, lanterns, and whatever other rustic items (a steer skull! a wagon wheel!) you have on hand or can find.
See more at Michelle's Party Plan-It.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
It's easier than you might think to whisk all away to the enchanted land of Narnia. Here, thrifted furs represent the wardrobe, while faux snowflakes and Christmas trees recall the wintry forest. And Aslan even makes an appearance, thanks to a life-size cardboard cutout.
See more at Tikkido.
Super Mario Bros.
With the new Super Mario Bros. movie a worldwide smash, this Halloween is the perfect time for a Trunk or Treat designed around the iconic video game. Follow the handy tutorials from Frog Prince Paperie and you'll be able to DIY Piranha Plants, Chompers, Question Mark Boxes and more in a snap.
See more at Frog Prince Paperie.
Day of the Dead
Colorful sugar skulls are everywhere and on everything these days, which makes crafting a Trunk or Treat with a Día de los Muertos theme easy peasy lemon squeezy. If you're feeling especially artistic, you can buy plain ceramic skulls and paint your own designs on them.
See more at Lynlee's.
Bat Cavern
Why not go a bit batty this year with a motif dedicated to Dracula's flying friends? Less fearsome than fun, this delightfully decked-out vehicle even features a backdrop of stalactites and stalagmites on which perch bat-shaped cookies.
See more at Tikkido.
The Shining
The only way this project could be better is if there were creepy twin girls in blue dresses lurking in front of it. ("Come and play with us, Danny...forever...and ever...and ever..." *shiver*)
See more at Shop Shannon Sweeney.
Woodland Wonderland
If you can't quite get enough of cottagecore, this is the Trunk or Treat for you. Craft a woodland bungalow out of cardboard, decorate with mushrooms and other symbols of the forest, and you'll be feeling like you just stepped out of a fairy tale.
Bug Bistro
Scorpion soup anyone? Gold bugs ingeniously displayed on velvet jewelry trays and in ornate frames and a letterboard advertising the day's "special" are the highlights of this creepy-crawly café.
See more at Fern and Maple.
Bad Unicorns
Not all unicorns are made of sugar and spice, but even the naughty ones are still plenty cute when they're handmade from green paper lanterns.
See more at Frog Prince Paperie.
Skeleton Pirates
Stuff a treasure chest full of candy coins, Mardi Gras beads and other fun giveaways, outfit a couple of skeletons in pirate garb and faster than you can say "Ahoy, matey!!" you've got a vehicle dedicated to ghostly high seas hijinks.
See more at DIY Inspired.
Wizard of Oz
There's no doubt this Trunk or Treat benefits from its adorable Dorothy, Wicked Witch, and Cowardly Lion, but the deets (like that plump little rainbow) are plenty cute, too.
See more at Klos + Co.
RELATED: DIY 'Wizard of Oz' Costumes for an Emerald City-Inspired Halloween
Jill Gleeson is a travel journalist and memoirist based in the Appalachian Mountains of western Pennsylvania who has written for websites and publications including Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Country Living, Washingtonian, Gothamist, Canadian Traveller, and EDGE Media Network. Jill is the travel editor for Enchanted Living. Learn more about her journey at gleesonreboots.com.
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