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Trunk or TreatEvents in Traverse City 2026

Celebrate Halloween 2026 with the best Trunk or Treat events in Traverse City. 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 Traverse City.

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Curated by the AllEvents team, for you.

Trunk or treat events in Traverse City

On now

Fri, Oct 302600 Lafranier Rd

Halloween Trunk-or-Treat with GT County

Join Grand Traverse County for some Halloween fun! Bring the family, dress up in your favorite costumes, and enjoy a spooktacular afternoon with trick or treating, activities, fire trucks and more at our Health Services Building. We can't wait to see you

3:00 PM

Sat, Oct 313272 Crofton Rd Sw South Boardman

Debbie Brandt Memorial Halloween Party

we are having a Halloween party to celebrate Debbie. There will be a costume contest, games, and a potluck. Please let us know what dish you will be bringing so we have an idea. Also let us know if you want to sign up for Trunk or treat. There will be a H

1:00 PM

Costume contestGames & bounce houses

Sat, Oct 315780 Shanty Creek Rd, Bellaire

Trunk-or-Treat

Shanty Creek is getting in the spirit and wishing everyone a Happy Halloween! Come and enjoy the spooky fun! Located at the Lakeview Hotel parking lot on October 31 from 4:30-8pm, treaters can get their fill of candy and scares as car trunks decorate th

4:30 PM

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 Traverse City

More trunk or treat events nearby

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 Traverse City: the basics

When are trunk or treat events in Traverse City in 2026?

Trunk or treat events in Traverse City run from Oct 30 to Oct 31, 2026: 7 events.

Is there a trunk or treat in Traverse City this weekend?

Yes: 7 events are on for Oct 30 – Nov 1, including Halloween Trunk-or-Treat with GT County, Trunks, Treats, and Eats: A Harris Street Halloween Extravaganza and 3rd annual Watson Benzie Trunk or Treat!. Another 6 events are on nearby.

Is there a trunk or treat near Traverse City?

Yes: 6 more events are listed within reach of Traverse City, in Petoskey, Manistee, Marion and Onekama and more. The soonest is Trunk or Treat in the Village in Petoskey, on Fri, Oct 30.

What are the best trunk or treat events in Traverse City?

The most popular on AllEvents right now are Trunks, Treats, and Eats: A Harris Street Halloween Extravaganza (Fri, Oct 30), Trunk or Treat | Kensington Church-Traverse City (Sat, Oct 31) and 3rd annual Watson Benzie Trunk or Treat! (Sat, Oct 31).

What time do trunk or treats start in Traverse City?

Start times run from 12:00 PM 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.