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I had so much fun working with Oriental Trading Company to come up with this Pirate Trunk or Treat! I used a variety items from their site and around my home to make this ship set up right out of my trunk. Let me walk you through the details so you can get your pirate on at your Trunk or Treat Halloween party!

DIY Pirate Trunk or Treat Step-by-Step

The items mentioned below were either from around my house or from Oriental Trading.

1. First you need a box! Pretty much like all my projects it all started with a cardboard box! Something about the size of a washer/dryer box would be ideal. The bigger the better but use what you have. I cut two long sides (as well as the bottoms) out of the box and used them for either side of the ship.
2. I covered the cardboard box with wood plank backdrop and just taped it on.
3. Next I used a pirate ocean backdrop to cover the inside of my trunk, again I just taped it on.
4. Next I hung 2 fish nets from various places I could tie them to and let them hang down on either side.
5. The hardest part was assembling the mast. I used old PVC pipe that I had from the jail we made for our Cops & Robbers party. I just used duct tape to tape the pipes together the way I wanted them and then hung some old curtains (or white sheets) from the mast.
6. Next, I hung a pirates party garland from the mast
7. The highlight of the ship is Captain Bones! The posable pirate skeleton I got from Oriental Trading.
8. Last I used blue tulle around the bottom of the ship for a nice finishing touch to make it look like the ship was actually in the ocean
9. And of course a treasure box filled with candy for the kids! (and a few treasures from Oriental Trading too).
10. If you want pirate costumes Oriental Trading has those as well! And if you want to see a video of me putting this together check out this Instagram Reel (and give me a follow while you are there!)

This could be adapted for a pirate themed party as well! If you are looking for more pirate party ideas check out my Jake & the Neverland party post!

This pirate skeleton is pretty cool and you can move him and pose him in different positions! I used some fishing light around his neck to tie him to the mast so he would stay standing. The ship wheel (what is that called?) I had believe it or not but I believe Oriental Trading has cardboard ones as well.

My son was Jack Sparrow for Halloween so that worked out pretty perfectly. Isn’t his costume pretty awesome?

Lastly, you need a treasure chest! You can fill it with candy, or if you want to go non-candy you can fill it with actual treasure. Oriental Trading has a ton of gold coins and gemstone rings and things like that that would go perfectly with the theme!

Here’s a closer look at the Jack Sparrow costume that we thrifted, sewed and bought different pieces for. The key is layering. Just keep throwing different layers and belts on until they can’t walk 😉 Haha, just kidding.

I hope that gives you some inspiration for your Pirate trunk or treat, Halloween costumes or just a Pirate party! Yo ho Yo ho it’s a pirates life for me! And follow along on Instagram for more holiday ideas!