If you know me, you know that I’m a sucker for freebies. As a Disney fan or planning a vacation, you probably are, too, especially when it comes to pieces of hidden magic around the parks. Continuing our free things at Walt Disney World series, we’ll be covering free things at Epcot including a couple of elaborate freebies that are a bit hard to come by but certainly worth it.
Headed to Magic Kingdom? Here’s a list of the 10 best freebies at Magic Kingdom.
Table of Contents
Free Things at Epcot: Water
Don’t bother spending your precious funds on water. Florida is hot most of the year and you’re going to need plenty of it, but don’t be fooled by the 3$+ bottled water. My easiest advice is bring your own or ask for some.
Another little hack of mine is that if you’re going to spend 4$ on a bottled drink, get a soda or a juice and refill it with water when you’re done. Basically, don’t dispose of any bottles, especially if you’re not picky about your water being ice cold.
Additionally, anywhere fountain drinks are served, you can walk up to the counter and ask for free cups of ice water. In a pinch, they’re great for cooling off and keeping hydrated.
Free Things at Epcot: Wi-Fi
This may sound a bit boring, but free Wi-Fi can come in handy. I find that actually, it works best in Epcot out of all of the parks, especially inside the queue for the Frozen Ever After attraction, which is great if you’re waiting in a long line and don’t want to drain your data.
Epcot Freebies: Celebration Buttons
Celebrating a special occasion? You can get birthday, happily ever after, first visit, and traditional celebration buttons at practically any merchandise stand or store by request, so make sure to ask a cast member for one! You can also find them at Guest Services near the front entrance.
Free Things at Epcot: Stickers
I don’t have too much experience with stickers at Epcot personally, but they’re everywhere around Disney property, and most cast members have them on hand if you ask for them. The designs are always changing so they’re fun to collect!
Epcot Freebies: Birthday Desserts
Like the other parks, if you have a birthday meal at one of the table service restaurants, chances are they’ll give you a birthday cupcake, free of charge!
Free Things at Epcot: Park Maps
Like in any park, despite the popular parks app, you can still pick up traditional paper maps. I love to collect these because the covers are constantly changing and they’re fun to look back on in the future.
Epcot’s maps are also extra fun because you can collect them in different languages in the different companies around World Showcase, and the festival ones will be different colors depending on the language.
Epcot Freebies: Festival Passports
Along with festival-themed maps in Epcot (they redesign them anytime there is a festival, which there are 4 of a year), you can get festival passports. These little booklets come with everything you need to know about the seasonal events as well as a sheet of stickers to mark off your journey. They’re super fun for kids and adults alike and are durable in quality that will be sure to hold up over time.
I’m the kind of person who loves collecting things with dates and years to look back on in the future, which these passports will provide. For some festivals such as Epcot International Festival of The Holidays, there’s alway a treat stroll where you can purchase 5 different food items in different countries, receive stamps in your passport at each location, and then pick up a free treat at the end.
I did the Holiday Cookie Stroll where I got to try cookies from all different countries and got a free Santa Mickey sugar cookie and a bottle of milk at the end. The stamp-receiving treats are cheap and the stroll a fun activity that results in a yummy reward.
Free Things at Epcot: Passholder Magnets
Epcot is the home of complimentary Annual Passholder (AP) magnets, a huge discussion point among AP holders. If you’re a Disney World annual passholder you’re probably well aware of the craze, but in case not, aside from the discounts and unlimited (given that your blackout dates allow) access to the parks, Epcot gives away passholder magnets multiple times a year.
You have to get them in person, but they tend to do up to 2 different styles for every festival. as a huge fan, I picked up every one in my passholder year since I lived in the area.
Important Tip: I’d recommend keeping them on your fridge instead of your car. There has been talk of guests taking them off vehicles in the parking lots, making collecting them much-less magical if you ask me.
Epcot Freebies: Food and Wine Festival Passholder Rewards
The Food and Wine Festival has been doing an elevated version of this for passholders the last couple of years, happily.
In general, after 4 visits to the festival you receive a special gift for your visits. Last year it was a set of 4 wooden Minnie Mouse coasters, and the year before was a Mickey Mouse cutting board. The passholder swag is an awesome addition, so if you’re a Disney fanatic that lives nearby, you might want to reconsider the way in which you visit the parks.
Tip: (Karyn here. I heard this straight from the mouth of a castmember) No matter how many times you walk in and out of the Epcot turnstiles each day, each one counts as a separate visit. So, you could exit and reenter the park immediately after and that would count as two visits.
Free Things at Epcot: Celebrity Performances & Shows
Again touching on the festival freebies, Epcot also brings in celebrity artists to put on performances. I love these, my favorites being the Broadway performances during Epcot International Festival of The Arts and I saw Gavin Lee last year, who I was a big fan of.
I also caught Neil Patrick Harris’ Candlelight Processional during Epcot International Festival of The Holidays which really was an amazing experience. They have loads of celebrity guests throughout these festivals, so definitely check the date line up so you can be sure to catch your favorites! If you haven’t been to Walt Disney World at Christmas, it’s a must-do, if only once.
During Flower & Garden and Food & Wine, Epcot loves hosting some pretty big singers and groups. Mainly featuring bands from the 80’s and 90’s, if you’re a fan of retro music, they’ll definitely be up your alley.
Epcot Freebies: Kidcot
Kidcot is something I’ve personally never tried but I’ve heard wondrous reviews of the free kid craft activities all around the World Showcase. Guests can pick up a suitcase-shaped Ziploc bag and participate in different crafts themed after the countries, which they can then take home.
This is a great pastime on a busy day with long wait times or if you want to get out of the sun and kill some time in the World Showcase pavilions. It’s also an activity you don’t have to do all in one day, so you can plan towards completion over multiple trips.
Free Things at Epcot: Pin Trading
While Disney pins aren’t free, pin trading is! You can pin trade all over Disney property, but most merchandise castmembers will have pinboards and lanyards where you can trade your own pins with theirs.
If you or your child is really interested in pin trading, I’d recommend picking up a couple of the mystery pin bags or boxes, that way you can get more bang for your buck, and not worry about having to select pins you’re not super attached to.
And if you really want to save on trading, look for scrapper pin sets on Ebay or Amazon and buy a bundle knowing the purchase is to trade them away. It’s not only cost effective, it’s a fun downtime activity and a great way to chat with castmembers.
Epcot Freebies: DVC Lounge
If you’re a member of the Disney Vacation Club (DVC), you’ll have free access to all of its lounges. The Epcot DVC Lounge is located inside the Imagination Pavillion, right above the Figment ride. There you can wind down with charging stations and complimentary soft drinks among other perks, so it’s a great spot for DVC members who want to unwind.
DVC Members are allowed to bring guests, so if you have a DVC member friend and are thinking about joining, maybe ask for a peek inside.
Free Things at Epcot: Visa Cardholder Photo
If you’re a Visa cardholder, there is a free photo spot where you can virtually pose with characters and get a free download. Normally, when there aren’t pandemic guidelines, it serves as an actual character meet and greet, but still, a cool exclusive perk if available to you.
When characters are available for photos, you’ll generally find a couple members of the Fab 5: Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald.
Epcot Freebies: Festival Lanyard Gift Cards
A little hack of mine if you’re going to a festival, get one of the gift card wristlets. These adorable cards come with coil bracelets to wear around your wrist for easy access when visiting different booths.
These are basically free if you’re planning on spending money anyway and just want to avoid taking out your wallet over and over again. You can find these at almost any stall or store in Epcot during festivals, and I’ve loaded them with amounts as low as 10$ in the past.
Additionally, they’re a great way to budget your spending especially if you plan on eating your way around World Showcase!
Free Things at Epcot: Seasonal Freebies
Epcot also has seasonal freebies, of course, like the mural postcard I snagged after participating in painting the Figment wall during The Epcot International Festival of The Arts. These kinds of freebies usually can’t be planned for, but a surprise souvenir is always the best.
Overall, Epcot is full of hidden surprises and it took me quite a while to discover all of these, but that’s part of the fun of visiting. I hope you’ve found some Epcot freebies you didn’t know about and can add them to your list of must-finds.
Stay tuned for Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. If you haven’t already read, here’s my list of free things in Magic Kingdom to check out to help you save some serious money when you visit.
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