Vibrant Day of the Dead Trunk or Treat (that’s not too scary!)

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Due to the pandemic, we wanted to do a small birthday party for my daughter outdoors. Since her birthday is in October, we decided to go with a Dia De Los Muertos theme – more commonly known as Day of the Dead. We threw this amazing Day of the Dead party in our garage! Since we had so many decorations after the party, we decided to use them for a trunk or treat. Boy was it a hit! We got so many compliments on the decor and the matching skeleton game.

Why You Should Do a Day of the Dead Trunk or Treat

It’s In-Expensive

Would you believe that 80% of the items in this Dia De Los Muertos decor are from the Dollar Tree? These decor items are cheap but look great.

It’s Gender Neutral

We chose to use teal and bright pink as the base to this set-up but really you can do it multi-colored and it’s a great trunk or treat theme for any family.

It’s Not Too Scary

While skeletons are usually scary during Halloween, the Day of the Dead decor is really bright and lively, not dark and creepy.

TRUNK-OR-TREAT DECOR

As you may know, Dollar Tree items go fast so as soon as you see skeleton decor, we suggest you grab them. They were available to us in September so we stocked up. Here are all the things you can get at the dollar store to create any Day of the Dead trunk, birthday party, or Halloween party.

Dollar Tree Checklist

Large skeleton heads (flat)
Medium skeleton heads (flat)
Small skeleton heads (flat)
Candles
Black garland
Teal pumpkins
Large pom poms
Small pom poms
Pink table cloth
Teal table cloth
Rustic brand wreath (we spray painted these black)
Colorful cut out banner
3D Skeleton heads
Black and pink flowers
Life size paper skeleton
Cardstock (to make the banner)
Masks & Scarves (for your family’s costume!)

Scroll down to see the buy list and instructions for the skeleton hand ring toss.

Dia De Los Muertos Free Printable

Want to add this fun “Sleep When You’re Dead” banner? Don’t worry, you can download it for free HERE. Feel free to print it on any color cardstock.

Day of the Dead Decor Tips and Tricks

Here are a few things we learned when putting together this unique tuck or treat.

Cover the Entire Trunk – If you really want to transform your car into this masterpiece, try to cover as much as you can with the bright colors. We actually taped the edges of the tablecloths to the outside of the car.
Have Fun with Skeleton Heads – There is no right or wrong way to use the flat skeleton heads. Put them in as many places as you can. We took one thick black ribbon and hot glued a bunch together so they would hang vertically. Then we added pom poms in between.
Bring Packing Tape – This was our savior when it came to decorating the runk of our car. This helped us secor much of the decorations. And no, it didn’t do any damage to the car.
Play Coco Music – Add a fun element by blasting Coco music from the car.
Get Matching Costumes – You can’t possibly participate in a trunk or treat without getting into the action! It doesn’t have to be complicated, I wore all black and then wore a colorful mask and scarf from Dollar Tree. The kids were both skeletons, of course. My daughter got this very girly skeleton costume and my son got a scary costume.

You’ll Also Love: FREE Halloween Printables: Easy Banners, Funny Signs, Scary Bats & Rats

DIY Skeleton Ring Toss Game

The credit to this ring toss game goes to Jordan’s Easy Entertaining. I found this on Pinterest and decided to make this and stand it up next to the trunk for some extra fun. Boy was it a hit!! ALL the kids were dying to try. Big kids and small kids. If they landed the ring on a hand, they got an extra treat. It was so cheap and easy to make this fun Halloween game!

Here’s what you need to buy at Dollar Tree:

2 Black Foam Boards
3 Skeleton hands (they come in sets of 2)
2 packs of glow stick necklaces (enough to make 6-8 rings)

Instructions:

Cut one of the black foam boards into 12 in tall slabs.
Take these slabs and cut a 1cm inch thick notch that is about 7 inches long and 5 inches from the edge
Take the second foam board (the one that has not been cut) and cut the same notches to the bottom. These notches will interlock to make the game stand on its own.
Take the second foam board and mark an X where you want to add the skeleton hand.
Make a small hole on those Xs and push the end of the skeleton hand through. Add tape the back if they are too wobbly.
For my version of the game I added an extra piece of foam board to the top so I can make a cute name sign.

Vibrant Day of the Dead Trunk or Treat (that’s not too scary!)