Annual ‘Trunk or Treat’ Returns to HCC on Oct. 24

HOLYOKE — Visitors to Holyoke Community College (HCC) on Friday, Oct. 24 can expect to see witches, ghouls, ghosts, and an assortment of characters from popular children’s movies, games, books, and TV shows as the college celebrates Halloween with its eighth annual Trunk or Treat event.

Every year, the event draws thousands of children and their parents to the HCC campus for a fun, safe, and early Halloween celebration as dozens of HCC departments, programs, and student clubs, as well as community groups and area businesses, decorate their cars and trucks with a wide assortment of themes.

Trunk or Treat runs from 5 to 7 p.m. in Parking Lot M by the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave.

Last year’s trunk themes included Charlotte’s Web, The Wizard of Oz, Minions, mummies, Dr. Seuss, pirates, enchanted forest, haunted vet clinic, aliens, Ratatouille, monsters, Jurassic Park, Shrek, the zoo, STEM, Fairly Odd Parents, castles, Wednesday Addams, spiders, skeletons, scarecrows, witches, sharks, and the Justice League.

Prizes are awarded to vehicle sponsors in various categories, including best executed theme, scariest trunk, best costumes, and most original. Each vehicle will hand out free Halloween treats and also have non-food items for children with dietary restrictions.

Trunk or Treat at HCC started in 2017 as an alternative to traditional trick-or-treating on Halloween night. Rather than going door to door seeking Halloween treats, children go ‘trunk to trunk’ to collect their candy, visiting cars decorated with seasonal themes and familiar stories and characters.

The event is free and open to the public and will be held outdoors, rain or shine. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

To sponsor a vehicle, email Student Engagement at [email protected] no later than Monday, Oct. 20.