Hosting a trick or treat table!
Thank you so much for dedicating your time, effort and money to making this event spooktacular for our trick-or-treaters! If you have a question that isn’t answered, give us a scream at trickortreat@sunsetdunes.org .
Setting up your station
Where & When.Trick or Treating begins Sunday, Oct. 25th at 1pm and ends at 4pm. We recommend setting up around 12pm. Please don't arrive before 11:30 — we're still mapping out placements, and early arrivals make that tricky.
If you’re renting a table from us: a week before the event, you will receive an email with your table number and location, or you can ask for help at any welcome station. Our tables are approximately 6 ft x 3 ft. You will also get 2 folding chairs.
If you’re bringing your own table: a week before the event we will email you with a general area to set up in, while we try to give everyone their pre, remember to stay on the ocean side lanes of the park, and to space yourselves 20 ft from the nearest other table.
While we try to give every host their preferred location we do our best to spread out the tables to ensure all our guests are served.
Decorating Your Station! Keep it simple or get creative, but please mind these guidelines from Rec and Park:
General Size is around 6ft by 6ft max (think a picnic table and chairs)
No free-standing structures are allowed other than commercial shade tents that must be secured with sand bags.
No painting the roadway (chalk art is fine!)
No attaching decorations to park features like plants or lights
Please do not give away stickers, they end up in the the sand dunes.
Pack it in? Pack it out!
Intereseted in running a fun activity at your table? Keep this in mind.
We love it when hosts get creative! We’ve seen spooky dancing, candy shooting volcanos, trivia, carnival games and more. Let’s ensure Sunset Dunes stays beautiful:
Activities can’t clutter up the roadway, beach, or dunes so preferably no stickers
No paint on the roadway. If you are using paint or anything similar, we recommend putting a tarp down.
Clean up your space after the event. This is the most important part!
Sunset Dunes gets very windy so please secure your things
Feel free to email us at trickortreat@sunsetdunes.org if you have any questions
Handing out Candy? Please stick to commercially packaged candy or non-edible treats. This candy calculator spreadsheet includes some options for varieties of lower-cost candy options.
Wondering how much candy to bring? Thousands of costumed kids descend on the great hauntway every year. However much candy you think you need to bring? Bring more. This candy calculator includes some options for varieties of lower-cost candy options.
Supplemental candy will be provided from our generous sponsors and can be found at the nearest welcome station. We will be giving each host a few hundred pieces of candy upon arrival. We'll also have extra candy to distribute for folks who run out. If you have concerns about being able to afford the candy, let us know and we'll arrange for extra free candy.
Please stick to commercially packaged candy or non-edible treats (small toys). Please do not give away stickers, as they tend to find their way into the sand dunes.
Allergy-Safe Trick or Treating. You can help ensure that trick or treaters with food allergies have a safe and fun time at the Hauntway by doing the following:
If you see a kid with a teal pumpkin, offer them an allergy-safe treat. We provide free teal pumpkins to kids with food allergies. Some kids with food allergies may not use a teal pumpkin, which is fine too - they’ll let you know if they need a non-food treat.
Bring a teal pumpkin (or print & post this sign) to let kids with food allergies know you have non-candy treats for them (some fun ideas are here). Be sure to keep your non-food treats stored separate from all food items. We will have some extra teal pumpkins for you to borrow at our welcome stations.
Promoting your Business or Cause
Want to host a table as part of your business or organization? Have a cause you want to promote at your station? Feel free to incorporate your brand or message into your decorations, but we ask that you keep the focus on the kids.
We also ask that you comply with a few simple event rules:
Do not attach literature to candy.
Do not leave your station to talk to people about your cause.
No active campaigning is permitted at the event.
Focus on fun for the trick or treaters. If folks ask about your cause, talk to them reactively. If folks don’t want to talk about your cause, don’t push the issue.
Selling of goods or services is NOT permitted. This is a free event. You may promote your business or cause with free items and literature. But keep the focus on kids and candy!
Groups that violate these rules may be asked to leave the event.
Donations
The Great Hauntway is a free community event produced by Friends of Sunset Dunes. If you want to help us keep it that way you can make a donation in-person at any welcome station or make a tax deductible donation at sunsetdunes.org/donate.