Tips for Attending the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Tasting Tents

Your first time at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival tasting tents can seem a bit overwhelming. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for and maximize your time!I

My first time attending, I was not at all prepared for what I experienced. After picking up my tickets, I walked to the tasting tents, but then the 30% chance of rain turned into a torrential, monsoon, downpour and deluge! It got so bad that those of us waiting to get onto the festival grounds were scuttled into a nearby garage to wait it out. There were already people inside the tasting tents-- also waiting out the rain, but with very delicious food. To add insult to injury, my fresh twist out was ruined (it had turned into a completely frizzy afro) and my makeup was basically steamed off and melting down my face. Plus, my feet were soaked. It was a mess. 

But once we got inside, it got better. I was surrounded by food and drinks, but I had no idea how to get to it all. I'm going to share with you what I've learned over the last two years.Tasting Tents:

1. Wear Comfortable shoes. Don't just wear cute flats, wear COMFORTABLE shoes that you feel good about standing in for hours. These should also be shoes that you don’t mind getting wet or dirty. There aren't many tables and even fewer seats. In fact, dress comfortably in general. Check the weather and make sure you're prepared.

2. Bring a tote, sling bag or a small drawstring backpack with some essentials:

   1. an ULTRA-MINI umbrella (just in case of rain)

   2. a hand towel (for sweat or to dry rain)

   3. mini pack of sanitizer wipes (for your hands)

   4. sunglasses a hat, whatever you need to be comfortable in the sun

   5. An empty reusable water bottle-- you'll be able to refill it while you're there and there will be plenty of other things to drink.

   6. Wine lanyard-- google it and buy it on amazon. (see the link below)

3. Hydrate in the week before. Don't just drink water the day of or the day before. Proper hydration will keep you from having to stop and use the restroom every five minutes. The restrooms are usually the nice modular units and the line generally moves quickly, but who wants to use a public restroom over and over?

4. Take an Uber or cab to and from the festival if possible. If you live far outside the city: park at your nearest Marta station, take the train to the station nearest the festival and take an Uber to the festival grounds. You don't want to be caught in garage traffic or get a DWI.

5. Make a plan: Look ahead to see if there are restaurants and restaurateurs that you want to check out.

6. Don't drink all the alcohol first. Mix it up. Eat then drink and repeat. Its easy to want to taste all the 

For detailed ticket information, visit the Festival ticketing website at www.atlfoodandwinefestival.com/tickets. Follow Atlanta Food & Wine Festival on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Here are links to some items you may need for the festival. Purchase using the links below to keep this site running!