Plan the Perfect College Trunk Party

Their years of hard work have paid off. Your high school student has graduated and been accepted to college! This is an exciting time, and perhaps a bittersweet time for adoring parents. It's a time to celebrate this milestone achievement and a time to get prepared for what is ahead. On top of acceptance letters and scholarship applications and housing searches, your college kid needs to prepare to live on their own for the first time. You can help. We've got everything you need to throw them the perfect College Trunk Party! 

What is a Trunk Party? 

A trunk party is quite similar to a graduation or birthday party. There's an honoree, invited guests, gifts, food, and games! In this case, the honoree is the graduate who is heading off to college. The invited guests are family and friends who wish the student well in this next stage of their life. The gifts are centered around "filling the trunk" of the college student, helping set them up for a happy, healthy, comfortable life away from home.

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Trunk Party Invitations & Decoration Ideas


Ready to host a Trunk Party to send your child off to college? Let's start with some Trunk Party Invitations! You can choose whimsical trunk or suitcase designs - specific to the Trunk Party, focus on a classic Graduation design, or even choose something more specific to the college colors where you can upload a photo of the Graduate. Punchbowl's online invitations offer you so many different options, and they can all be delivered instantly by email or text.

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Choose an invitation that represents the college colors and the party decorations to match. You can put up banners from the school, use paper plates, napkins, and a table cloth in the school colors, and get helium-filled balloons to match!

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Trunk Party Gift Ideas


If you've received an invitation to a Trunk Party for a special someone who is heading off to college, you may need some suggestions on what to get them. The truth is - for most college kids - they're going to be living on their own for the first time, so the objective of a Trunk Party is to make them feel as comfortable as possible in their new adventure.

Some college students live in residence, so gifts should be focused on making them comfortable in their small spaces: 

  • Cozy, comfortable bedding and pillows
  • Convenient storage solutions, like under-bed containers
  • Bathroom essentials - shampoos, toothpaste, shaving kits, shower shoes that can be transported back and forth between the shared bathrooms and dorm rooms, etc.
  • Entertainment essentials - headphones, a lightweight TV
  • Rolling suitcases for easy travel back home
If they're moving into a shared home or apartment, where they'll be responsible for common spaces like the kitchen, your gift options are even more expansive: 

  • Kitchenware - utensils, plates, coffee mugs, glasses, barware, pots & pans
  • Small appliances 
  • An essential tool kit for minor repairs or assembling flat pack furniture
  • Cleaning supplies - cleaning sprays and soaps, a small cordless vacuum, scrubbing sponges, dish towels, etc.
  • Food - fill the pantry with staples and easy-to-cook meal solutions
In most cases, college students are living on a budget, so restaurant, coffee shop, or department store gift cards are a safe bet, and goodie baskets stuffed with their favorite treats will always be appreciated!


Want to create a wonderful keepsake for your College student to take with them? Enlist the help of friends and family who attend the Trunk Party, as well as loved ones who can't make it, to create a personalized Group Video with best wishes, advice, and good-luck messages for the guest of honor. After you've played Trunk Party Games and fed your guests, surprise the guest of honor by playing their video on a big screen TV. Then send them a copy that they can watch over and over again when they're feeling a little homesick during the school year. 

Host a Trunk Party to send your College student off to school with everything they need to be comfortable - and successful!
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