Trunk-or-treat car-park Halloween event

Outdoor: weather matters

Families decorate car boots and hand out lollies in one safe car park or field; the group charges a small entry and runs $1 stalls and food.

Typically raises

$800

$400–2,000 per eventest.

About $53 per organiser hour

Based on a 300-400 person evening

Is it right for us?

Money: $500–2,000
Work: A few evenings
Helpers: 7–15 people
Lead time: 1–2 months
Red tape: Some

Uncommon: an imported idea that still feels new here

People: 8-15: gate and money, car-park marshals, stall helpers, plus 10-30 car owners (estimate)
Organiser time: 10-20 hours (estimate)
Lead time: 4-6 weeks to sign up cars and book the site (estimate)
Up-front cost: $150. Signage, cones, hi-vis, stall prizes and food stock; car owners supply their own lollies and decorations (estimate).
Risk: Low: entry and stalls cover small costs.

Suits: Church

Less usual for: Kindy or early learning, Primary or intermediate school, Sports club or team, Community group, marae or service club

When: Spring (Sep–Nov), Halloween

How big a job: A few evenings, 7–15 people

How it works

The money, as an example sum

Sell at $2 a entry, keep $2, so 475 entries = $950, or about $800 after about $150 of costs. That’s about the typical result.

Using the figures on this page. Your prices and costs will differ.

Where the money figure comes from

Fairlie's trunk-or-treat ($2 donation plus a can of food entry) drew about 300 people and more than doubled the previous year's $400 after adding $1 stalls (ODT, Nov 2024). The fifth Fairlie event drew about 400 people and collected $600 plus $250 from a 'human slot machine' (ODT, Nov 2025). High figure is an estimate for a larger school with a food stall.

Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.

Step by step

Pick a closed space: school car park, field or church car park, and get written permission.
Sign up decorated cars in advance with a simple form; ask each to bring enough lollies for a set number of children.
Set entry: Fairlie used a $2 donation plus a can of food for the foodbank (ODT).
Park all cars before gates open, then close vehicle access until pack-down.
Set out a one-way loop past the boots with cones and marshals.
Add $1 game stalls and a sausage sizzle or baking stall near the exit.
Give older children jobs at the gate and stalls, as Fairlie did with tweens and teens (ODT).
Run a best-dressed family or best car prize to bring repeat entries.
Count takings in pairs; post a thank-you with the total.

Getting the word out

Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.

Ask for help: Helpers for the day or night, and local businesses for prizes.
Ask people to buy: People to book tickets or tables, and turn up.
When to start: Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 3–4 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.

Where to put it

School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
PostersPosters at the school gate, the clubrooms and shop windows, with the date, place, price and how to pay.
Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.
Billboards and roadside signsYour school’s or club’s own sign by the road, a banner on the fence, or a sandwich board on the day for passers-by.

The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.

What you’ll need

Place: NeededYour own grounds or hall
Landowner’s permission: NeededYes, in writing
Council permit: CheckCheck with your council
Food rules: CheckNo registration if you sell food to fundraise for a good cause up to 20 times a calendar year. It must still be safe and suitable, and your council may need a stall permit
Alcohol: Not neededNo alcohol sold
Gambling rules: Not neededNot gambling
Health and safety: CheckA simple risk check and briefing
First aid: NeededA first aider and kit on site (recommended)
Insurance: CheckCheck your cover

Use a closed school, church or club car park and lock vehicle access during the event. Council car parks or reserves need a booking or event application.

Make more from it

$1 game stalls
doubled takings at Fairlie, from $400 to over $800 (ODT)
kids arrive with coins and time to fill
Sausage sizzle
$150-400 (estimate)
families stay through tea time
Can of food as part of entry
goodwill and media coverage rather than cash (ODT)
gives the event a community purpose

Stack it: on its own, about $800. With the 2 priced add-ons above, roughly

$1,500est.

What you can get donated

Lollies from local businesses; prizes for best-decorated car (Fairlie plans gift certificates for best stall, ODT).

Tips

Adding cheap $1 stalls more than doubled Fairlie's takings in one year (ODT).
Collecting cans for the foodbank as part of entry builds goodwill and media coverage (ODT).
Start before dark in spring daylight saving so little ones can come and go early (estimate).

Watch out for

Lolly-only events raise little; the money is in the stalls and food.
A car arriving or leaving mid-event is the biggest safety risk; lock access.
Nut-containing lollies: ask car owners to avoid them or label them.

Free tools for this

Event budget and break-evenCover hire, food and prizes before you set the ticket price.
Cash float and takings counterDoor and food-stall cash, counted in pairs and banked the next day.
Event run sheetOne timed plan for set-up, the event and pack-down.
Checklist for any ideaBefore, on the day and after, built from this idea’s own steps and rules.

Typical rules

Moving vehicles and children do not mix: close the car park to traffic once cars are parked, and keep it closed until the end (estimate of good practice).
If you use a council car park or reserve, book it with the council; some need an event application.
Food stalls fall under the Food Act 2014 fundraising exemption if run fewer than 20 times a year (MPI).
If you run a raffle or prize draw, gambling rules apply (see ‘Printed ticket raffle’).

Check the details

Sources

Researched October 2026. All fundraising ideas

* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide