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Trunk or TreatEvents in San Jose 2026

Celebrate Halloween 2026 with the best Trunk or Treat events in San Jose. 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 San Jose.

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Curated by the AllEvents team, for you.

Trunk or treat events in San Jose

Wed, Oct 281775 W Lowell Ave, Tracy

West High Trunk or Treat

Community event!! Open to everyone. If you are interested in bringing your car for the trunk or treat, use the link below to sign up.

5:30 PM

Fri, Oct 302901 Las Positas Road, Livermore

Trunk or Treat

Get Ready for a Spook-tacular Trunk-or-Treat! 🍬🚗 Calling all Primrose families! Bring your little ghosts, superheroes, and princesses for an evening filled with Halloween fun, sweet treats, and unforgettable memories! 🧡 ✨ Invite your family and friends

1:15 AM

Fri, Oct 30168 W 25th Ave., San Mateo

Trunk or Treat on 25th Ave!

🎃 TRUNK OR TREAT ON 25TH AVE! 🍬 Join us on 25th Ave in San Mateo for a fun, family-friendly evening of Halloween treats and community fun! 📅 Friday, October 30th ⏰ 4:30 - 6:30 PM 📍 25th Ave, San Mateo Local businesses will be decorating their trunks an

4:30 PM

2 dates · from Oct 30The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Santa Cruz

Trunk or Treat and Chili Cook-off

Trunk or Treat and Chili Cook-off Join us for a spook-tacular Evening! Friday, October 30th Chili Cook-off 5:30 - 6:30 pm Trunk or Treat starts at 6:30 Please bring a pot of yo

5:30 PM

Free

Fri, Oct 303229 S Bascom Ave, Campbell

🎃 Trunk-or-Treat Halloween Bash

🎃 TRUNK-OR-TREAT HALLOWEEN BASH! 👻 Join us for a spooktacular evening! Creative Beginnings is hosting a Trunk-or-Treat and everyone in the community is invited! 📅 Friday, October 30th 🕕 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM 📍 3229 S Bascom Ave, San Jose, CA 👻 DON'T FORGET

6:00 PM

Fri, Oct 30The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Santa Clara

SCW Trunk or Treat

This is a family friendly event. No masks please. Chili Cookoff and Dinner - 6 pm Fire Truck tour - 6 pm Costume Parade - 6:45 pm Trunk or Treat - 7-8 pm

6:00 PM

Costume contest

Fri, Oct 30The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Foster City

Halloween Trunk or Treat & Chili Cook-Off

Join us for a night of food and fun. 6:00 pm Chili Cook-Off Bring your favorite recipe to share and walk away as this year's champ! 7:00 pm Costume Parade 7:15 pm Trunk or Treat Trick or treat in a friendly safe, area going car to car Join us for an eveni

6:00 PM

Costume contest

Sat, Oct 311298 N Capitol Ave

Community Family Festival (FREE EVENT)

Join us for our Community Family Festival this Halloween. Saturday, October 31 11 am - 2 pm Berryessa Valley Church Activities include Trunk or Treat, Games, food, and more. FREE event for the whole family!

11:00 AM

Games & bounce houses

Sat, Oct 31Mt. Pleasant High School

GotKids 7th Annual TrunknTreats

🎃🚗🍬 WE NEED VOLUNTEERS & TRUNK HOSTS! 👻🧡 GotKids? is getting ready for our 7th Annual Trunk N’ Treats, and we need our amazing community to help make this event possible! Last year, we welcomed over 2,000 families, and we’re hoping to make this year

1:00 PM

Sat, Oct 31Mt. Pleasant High School

Trunk N’ Treats

🎃👻 SAN JOSE, GET READY TO TRICK-OR-TREAT! 🍬🧡 7TH ANNUAL HALLOWEEN TRUNK N TREATS IS HERE! Bring the whole family for an afternoon packed with candy, games, music, bouncy houses, a haunted house, and more! 🎉 📅 Saturday, October 31, 2026 ⏰ 1 PM – 3:30 PM

1:00 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 San Jose

More trunk or treat events nearby

Sat, Oct 31Little Embarcadero, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco

Wags & Wheels

11:00 AM

Free – $7.18

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 San Jose: the basics

When are trunk or treat events in San Jose in 2026?

Trunk or treat events in San Jose run from Oct 28 to Oct 31, 2026: 18 events.

Is there a trunk or treat in San Jose this weekend?

Yes: 17 events are on for Oct 30 – Nov 1, including Trunk or Treat, Trunk or Treat on 25th Ave! and Trunk or Treat and Chili Cook-off at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Another 8 events are on nearby.

Are there free trunk or treat events in San Jose?

Yes: 4 of the 18 listed are free, including Trunk or Treat and Chili Cook-off at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Trunk or Treat Halloween Community Event at Unity In Motion Dance and Trunk or Treat - Chili Cook off at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most trunk or treats are free to walk into.

Is there a trunk or treat near San Jose?

Yes: 9 more events are listed within reach of San Jose, in Vallejo, Stockton, San Francisco and san francisco and more. The soonest is Northbay Night Market Trunk or Treat in Vallejo, on Wed, Oct 28.

Where are trunk or treats held in San Jose?

At 14 venues, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (6 dates), Mt. Pleasant High School (2 dates), Unity In Motion Dance and Elks Lodge. Most take place in the car park of a church, school, library or community centre.

What are the best trunk or treat events in San Jose?

The most popular on AllEvents right now are Cars & Coffee - Frunk or Treat Edition at Dynamic Detailing (Sat, Oct 31), Trunk or Treat Halloween Community Event at Unity In Motion Dance (Fri, Oct 30) and Rummage Sale for a Cause! (Sat, Oct 31).

What time do trunk or treats start in San Jose?

Start times run from 1:15 AM to 6:00 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.