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Trunk or TreatEvents in Raleigh 2026

Celebrate Halloween 2026 with the best Trunk or Treat events in Raleigh. Discover family-friendly Halloween celebrations featuring decorated cars, candy giveaways, costume contests, games, community gatherings, and safe trick-or-treat experiences for children. Whether you're planning a fun family outing or looking for Halloween events near you, explore the top Trunk or Treat events happening across Raleigh.

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Curated by the AllEvents team, for you.

Trunk or treat events in Raleigh

On now

Mon, Oct 26Saint Francis United Methodist Church, Cary

FREE Trunk or Treat at Saint Francis UMC, Cary, NC

A fun-filled afternoon of trick-or-treating, games, FREE food and a visit from the Cary Fire Department! Everyone is welcome! Get those costumes ready for an afternoon of fall fun on Sunday,

4:00 PM

FreeGames & bounce houses

On now

Mon, Oct 26Gladwell Orthodontics

Gladwell Orthodontics Raleigh Trunk or Treat

Join us for Trunk or Treat at Gladwell Orthodontics for a fun-filled evening of candy, pumpkin painting, games and more! Join us for a spook-tacular evening of family fun at Gladwell Orthodo

5:30 PM

FreeGames & bounce houses

Tue, Oct 27Dunn Shrine Center

DACC Touch A Truck & Treat

Join the Dunn Chamber for our 2nd Annual Touch-A-Truck & Treat on Tuesday, October 27th from 4:30 –6:30PM! Families can explore trucks, tractors, emergency vehicles, food trucks and more—all while enjoying a fun and safe trick-or-treat experience. T

4:30 PM

Food trucks

Tue, Oct 27Gladwell Orthodontics, Rolesville

Gladwell Orthodontics Rolesville Trunk or Treat

Join us for Trunk or Treat at Gladwell Orthodontics for a fun-filled evening of candy, pumpkin painting, games and more! Join us for Trunk or Treat at Gladwell Orthodontics for a fun-filled evening of candy

5:30 PM

FreeGames & bounce houses

Wed, Oct 285419 S Alston Ave, Durham

Trunk or Treat

Join us for a family-friendly TRUNK-OR-TREAT event at Lowe's Grove American Legion Post 416!

5:00 PM

Wed, Oct 281712 Willow Dr, Chapel Hill

Trunk Or Treat

Join us with our friends at Binkley Preschool and Kidzu Children's Museum on October 29th at 5:30 pm for our annual Trunk or Treat. If it rains we will be inside. This event is free for all ages!

5:30 PM

Wed, Oct 283000 East Garner Road

Fall Fest

Mark your calendars! October 28th | 6–8 PM — join us at Mount Moriah Baptist Church for a FREE night of fun for the whole family! - Trunk or Treat - Food - Music - Games - Pumpkin Painting - Fairy Hair AND MORE! #FREE ENTRY — bring the whole family &amp

5:30 PM

Games & bounce houses

Wed, Oct 28Rains Crossroads Church, Princeton

RCC Trunk or Treat 2026

JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL TRUNK OR TREAT! 📍 Rains Crossroads Church Bring the whole family for a fun-filled evening of candy, games, fellowship, and Jesus! ❤️ 🚗 Trunk or Treat – Come dressed in your favorite costume and visit all of our creatively decora

6:00 PM

Games & bounce houses

Wed, Oct 282100 Noble Rd

Five Points Fall Festival

Join us for the Five Points Fall Festival at Emmanuel Baptist Church. This event is designed for the whole family with live music, trunk or treat, and games. Learn more:

6:00 PM

Games & bounce housesLive music

Wed, Oct 28340 McCullers Dr., Clayton

Fall Festival at Clayton Methodist Church

🍂 Fall Festival at Clayton Methodist Church 🎃 Join us for an evening of fun, food, and fellowship! Our Fall Festival is a free, family-friendly night for our whole community, and we'd love for you to come celebrate with us. 📅 Wednesday, October 28th 🕕 6

6:00 PM

Wed, Oct 283603 NC Highway 86 S, Hillsborough

New Heart Fall Festival

Trunk-or-Treat Costumes Welcome Inflatable Cake Walk Free Popcorn

6:00 PM

Games & bounce houses

Trunk or treat decorations, candy and costume ideas

Everything to decorate your trunk, fill the candy bowl and dress the kids — from monster-mouth kits and string lights to bulk Halloween candy and costumes. Check delivery dates before you order.

Links go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, AllEvents earns from qualifying purchases.

More to do around Raleigh

More trunk or treat events nearby

Sat, Oct 31Downtown between Hanks and Salisbury Street, Pittsboro, NC, United States, North Carolina 27312

2026 Pittsboro Street Fair

10:00 AM

Live music

Costume corner

What kids are wearing this year, and how to dress for an evening in a car park.

What kids are wearing

  • No. 1SuperheroSpider-Man topped the list for kids: 2.3 million of them.
  • PrincessA classic that never leaves the top five.
  • WitchThe hat does most of the work. Add a broom for the photos.
  • GhostOne sheet, two eye holes, done in ten minutes.
  • NewPop-star demon hunterThis year's breakout, thanks to KPop Demon Hunters.
  • DinosaurPlush and hooded: the warmest costume in the car park.

Costume rankings: National Retail Federation, 2025 Halloween survey.

Dress for a car park in late October

  • Layer underneathMost start around dusk, and it cools fast. A long-sleeve top and leggings under the costume beat a coat over it.
  • Wear real shoesA big car park is a lot of walking. Trainers under a long skirt or a dinosaur tail will not show.
  • Glow, so drivers see youCars still move around the edges. A glow-stick bracelet or a strip of reflective tape on the bucket costs nothing.
  • Face paint over masksPaint lets them see the step down from the curb, and eat the candy on the spot. Masks usually come off by the third car.

Why trick or treat moved into the car park

A 1990s station wagon with its tailgate open outside a small white church, children in costume walking up to it

Since the 1990s

Churches started it. Parents wanted a Halloween with less gore, fewer strangers and no crossing busy roads in the dark, so congregations parked in a circle, opened their boots and handed out candy from the back. In car-dependent suburbs it simply worked better than a street of houses far apart — and a flat car park suits children with allergies, wheelchairs and strollers too.

  1. Early 1990sThe first trunk or treats appear at church fall festivals, as a gentler alternative to door-to-door.
  2. 1994A Baptist congregation in Alabama holds one — the earliest specific year on record.
  3. Early 2000sChurches across the South add it to their calendars, then malls and schools follow.
  4. TodayCar parks across suburbia fill up, and decorating the trunk has become a contest of its own.

Trunk or treat in Raleigh: the basics

When are trunk or treat events in Raleigh in 2026?

Trunk or treat events in Raleigh run from Oct 26 to Oct 31, 2026: 62 events.

Is there a trunk or treat in Raleigh this weekend?

Yes: 42 events are on for Oct 30 – Nov 1, including FOODEES FEST A SPOOKY EVENT IS COMING TO RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA at Triangle Town Center, Fall Festival Apex (Kiddie Academy of Apex) and Trunk or Treat 🍬. Another 5 events are on nearby.

Are there free trunk or treat events in Raleigh?

Yes: 10 of the 62 listed are free, including FREE Trunk or Treat at Saint Francis UMC, Cary, NC at Saint Francis United Methodist Church, Gladwell Orthodontics Raleigh Trunk or Treat and Gladwell Orthodontics Rolesville Trunk or Treat. Most trunk or treats are free to walk into.

Is there a trunk or treat near Raleigh?

Yes: 6 more events are listed within reach of Raleigh, in Fayetteville, Mebane, Pittsboro and Durham and more. The soonest is 2nd Annual Monster Mash Trunk Dash: Trunk or Treat in Fayetteville, on Thu, Oct 29.

Where are trunk or treats held in Raleigh?

At 58 venues, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (6 dates), Gladwell Orthodontics (2 dates), Saint Francis United Methodist Church and Dunn Shrine Center. Most take place in the car park of a church, school, library or community centre.

What are the best trunk or treat events in Raleigh?

The most popular on AllEvents right now are FOODEES FEST A SPOOKY EVENT IS COMING TO RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA at Triangle Town Center (Oct 30 – Nov 1), NCDAC’s Fourth Annual Candy & Cars Trunk or Treat (Wed, Oct 28) and Boo in the Burg 2026 at Louisburg, North Carolina (Sat, Oct 31).

What time do trunk or treats start in Raleigh?

Start times run from 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM. Most begin around dusk, so the decorated trunks are lit when the children arrive, and last two or three hours.

What is a trunk or treat?

A Halloween event where children go from car to car instead of door to door. Families park in one place — usually a church, school or community car park — open their boots, decorate them, and hand out candy from the back. It began at American churches in the 1990s as a safer, more contained alternative to trick-or-treating, and most now add a costume parade, games or a best-decorated-trunk contest.

What should kids bring to a trunk or treat?

Their costume, a treat bucket or bag, and something that glows — a glow stick or a small torch — because most events run after dark. Comfortable shoes help: a big car park is a lot of walking.

How do you decorate a trunk for trunk or treat?

Pick a theme and fill the open boot with it. Monster mouths, pumpkin patches, haunted houses, outer space and under the sea are the favourites. Battery string lights matter most, since a car park has no sockets; then a backdrop, cobwebs or props, and a bowl of candy at the front edge.

Are trunk or treats safe for kids with food allergies?

Many are. Look for a teal pumpkin: it is the sign of a trunk handing out non-food treats such as glow sticks, stickers and small toys, part of the Teal Pumpkin Project for children with food allergies.