Is trunk-or-treating the death of Halloween tradition?

Halloween is a Holiday few can’t enjoy, from superheroes to mermaids to killer clowns, it’s the one day a year where you can be as spooky or sparkly as you wish, but has the holiday lost its hype in recent years?

Many of us participated in the festivities of Halloween as children. Even those who don’t celebrate can remember the days their school halls were decked from head to toe in spooky decorations. Fond memories of trick-or-treating, partying, dressing up, and hanging out with friends come back to us when we look back on it, but people are taking notice that the younger generations aren’t going all out for Halloween like they used to.

Recent studies show that with every passing year, people are reporting fewer and fewer trick-or-treaters visiting their houses. A poll run by USA TODAY reported that in 2024, of 20,000 recipients, 75 percent reported that they had noticeably fewer trick-or-treaters ring their doorbell than in years past, and there may be a couple of key reasons behind it.

Though many people have noticed the obvious decline in trick-or-treaters post-COVID, the tradition seemed to be dwindling for a while now, with many articles from the late 2010s noting the declining popularity of trick-or-treating in many households. As trick-or-treating was dying out, a new way of celebrating Halloween quickly took over: Trunk or Treating.

In the last decade or so, you’ve likely heard of the term “Trunk or Treat”. Trunk or Treating is a community event where people gather their cars together and put candy in the back to recreate the trick-or-treating experience, though usually much earlier in the day. though Trunk-or-treating can be traced back to the late 90s, it has skyrocketed in popularity over the last decade. 

Trunk-or-treating’s recent boost in popularity can likely be attributed to how much more accessible, marketable, and promotable it is on social media, and in many households, it’s taken the place of trick-or-treating on Halloween. 

Many parents who participate in trunk or treat go all out, decorating their cars for the event with speakers, smoke machines, coordinated costumes, etc. You can find hundreds of videos online of influencer moms showing off their fully decked-out minivans for the occasion, prompting many others to do the same. 

Trunk or Treat presents an easy occasion for parents to take pictures and have their children participate in Halloween fun without the fear of danger that Halloween would usually have, like the dark, stranger danger, tampered candy, etc. Many families don’t take their children trick-or-treating on Halloween night; why bring the kids out late on a school night if you already have 3 bags of candy at home?

Many prefer trunk-or-treating due to the sense of security it gives them over their children, but is it truly superior? Many present trunk-or-treating as a much safer alternative to trick-or-treating, but studies have shown that there is realistically not that much of a difference in safety when it comes down to it. A lot of the stigma against Trick or Treating comes from the rumors of razor blades in baggies or drugs slipped into children’s candy from the 1960s, which has about as much evidence behind it as Santa Claus. 

A large part of the magic behind Halloween is placing our trust in our neighbors and community members, some we may know, others we haven’t met before, but all can come together to hand out candy from their doorstep on Halloween night. Though trunk-or-treating brings many parents a sense of comfort, it leaves out many members of the community that trick-or-treating includes.