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We’re counting down to the start of the 2021 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival!

And we’ve been bringing ya PLENTY of tips on budgeting, planning your trip, avoiding common mistakes, and more. But if you’re gearing up for your festival day, you may be wondering what essentials you need in your park bag. And luckily, we’ve got the answers!

Now, you’ll always want to bring some things in your bag, whether that’s sunscreen, hand sanitizer, or a portable charger. But there are some things specific to festival days — and we’re digging into those below.

1. Food Tray

If you’ve been reading our festival tips and tricks, chances are you’ve heard us talk about trays. If you’re ordering multiple foods or drinks from a booth, how ELSE are you supposed to carry it all to your table?!

Now, Disney tends to sell an official festival tray, but you can find MUCH cheaper ones online that work just as well.

Click Here to Buy a Food Tray!

Or, you can make your own DFB tray!

Check Out How to Make Your Own Food Tray!

2. Refillable Water Bottle

We’ve told you ALL about how you can get free water at Disney World instead of spending money buying it bottled. But a refillable water bottle is especially important for the Food and Wine Festival, because it’s surprisingly easy to get dehydrated when you’re chowing down and sippin’ on booze all day.

The festival booths themselves will not give you free water cups, but you can grab ’em at several other locations around the park.

Click Here to Buy a Refillable Water Bottle!

Keep your bottle filled at all times — it’ll keep you refreshed and at the top of your festival game!

Here’s Where to Find Free Water in Disney World!

3. Takeout Containers

If you’re planning on eating a LOT at the festival, chances are you’ll end up with some leftovers! This is especially true if your strategy is to try tons of eats at many booths, instead of just eating when you’re hungry.

Our solution? We like to keep takeout containers in our backpack! When we get home, we throw ’em all in our fridge and have festival eats for daysss.

Click Here to Buy Some Takeout Containers!

They make great snacks or small meals, which gives you more bang for your buck.

You Can Also Whip Up Some Food and Wine Festival Recipes! Here’s How.

4. Reusable Silverware

Again, if you’re sampling a lot of festival booths, it can become wasteful to get a new pack of plastic silverware each time you stop to eat. Instead, we recommend bringing your own reusable silverware!

We love the Disney brand, but you can find a cheaper alternative online.

Click Here to Buy Disney’s Reusable Silverware!

Reusable straws are especially helpful, because not all booths have ’em. Plus, you probably know the struggle of walking and sipping without one!

Check Out Our Review of Disney’s Reusable Silverware!

5. Wet Wipes

This one’s quick ‘n’ easy. If you’re eating all day, you may get sticky hands.

Pack some wet wipes for a quick scrub, and then you’re good to go!

Click Here to Buy Some Wet Wipes!

Not to mention, the festival tables are not cleaned after each use, so this is a great way to keep things nice and clean.

Check Out More Basic Park Bag Must-Haves!

6. Comfortable Walking Shoes

Yup, this one’s a must for just about any Disney park day. But it’s SO important for festivals because trust us, friends, you’re gonna do a lot of walking.

You’ll want to bring shoes that are well-worn and that you know are comfortable. Now’s not the time to break in a brand-new pair of sneakers!

Click Here to Buy Disney x Native Shoes! (Just make sure to break ’em in.).

And of course, it never hurts to bring Bandaids to patch up a blister if you get one halfway through the day. Trust us — we know from experience that it’s no fun limping around the festival when you’re in pain.

We Reviewed Disney x Native Shoes for Park Days!

7. Gift Cards

This is one of our favorite DFB festival tricks, because it serves 2 purposes. First of all, by purchasing festival gift cards, you’re giving yourself a set budget to stick to. That money is set aside for festival eats or gear, and you can’t exceed it. It’s a great way to stay on budget when you lose track of how many drinks or snacks you’ve had throughout the day!

But here’s the fun stuff: if you buy Disney gift cards using your Target RedCard or a similar promotion, you can get 5% off ’em. That’s like a 5% discount on your entire festival experience! And those savings can really add up.

Check Out More Food and Wine Festival Budgeting Tips!

8. DFB Festival Guide

Most importantly, you’ll want to come to the festival prepared and with a plan of attack. And what better way to get ALL the insider info than with our DFB Guide to the 2021 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival?! It’s 250+ pages of tips, reviews of EVERY single food item, a map of all the Festival booths, and more. You’ll even find food crawls catered to special tastes!

This guide is currently available for pre-order, and you can save 20% off the cover price by using the code CHEFS at checkout.

Dig through this guide before your visit, and bring it with ya on your festival day. You’ll be a pro!

Click Here to Pre-Order the DFB Guide to the 2021 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival!

Phew! If you bring these 8 things, friends, you’re well on your way to a successful day at the Food and Wine Festival. We’ll be sure to bring you more updates and tips as the festival gets closer, so say tuned to DFB!

Check Out These MYTHS About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival!

Are you visiting the Food and Wine Festival this year? Let us know in the comments!

The post The Ultimate Packing List for EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival first appeared on the disney food blog.