13 Bedar at Bull Run

Last Sunday nearly 10,000 people came out to Bull Run Special Events Center to celebrate Sizdah Bedar a Persian celebration for the 13th day of the new year. It was a truly great day and great celebration with lots of food, families, and dancing.

For years many in the Persian Community went to Algonkian Regional Park for 13 Bedar, but soon the size of the group outstripped the ability of that park to host the festivities, which is why the event has been moved to Bull Run where the facilities can accommodate this size group. For years to come we anticipate that the 13 Bedar festivities in Northern Virginia will be centered at Bull Run Special Events Center. In Maryland, Black Hills Regional Park also hosts a large 13 Bedar celebration.

Here are some of the comments from people who attended the 13 Bedar festivities at Bull Run in 2012:

"I want to to thank you and your colleagues at the Regional Park Authority of the Northern Virginia for your efforts in making this 13 Bedar a wonderful occasion for my family and thousands of Iranian Americans who celebrated 13th Bedar in Bull Run Park this year. The event was extremely well organized. The employees of the Park were very friendly and helpful. Your preparations and management of the logistics from facilities, tents,first aid crew to games was stellar. The accessibility and efficiency of Parking was great. We also had the good fortune of having a beautiful day.

 Everyone felt secure, happy, and comfortable. This is an important annual event for the Iranian Americans and this year's event was a great success and a source of joy and pride for all of us due to your efforts.

Congratulations to you and your team and thanks again for your recognition and support of the Iranian American Community living in the Washington Metro Area."

"On behalf of my group, that included my husband, children and two other families with their children,  would like to thank you and your staff for having arranged a well organized place for the last day of our Nowruz celebration.  We had ample parking space, beautiful surroundings, appropriate posted signs to make navigation easy and above all, lots of fun.  We do appreciate your efforts for making it happen the way it did."

"Just wanted to drop a note and say what a great event that was yesterday!  You and your team at the park did a wonderful job accommodating such a large group and making it a great day.  From my personal experience, it was the best 13 Bedar celebration I've been a part of and heard from many more who have been celebrating for much longer and who told me the same.  Big round of applause all around for Bull Run park and staff."



"Everyone felt secure, happy, and comfortable. There were nothing but smiles on all the families faces while they were enjoying the good weather in a impeccable organized facility!"

The Special Events Center is becoming "the" place in Northern Virginia for large events, with its ample parking, large amphitheater "bowl", center stage, and area for food concessions. It is the home of many ethnic festival, concerts, and other large events like the largest wine festival in the region. Northern Virginia is a multi-cultural place and the Bull Run Special Events Center give us an area to celebrate that rich diversity of cultures that we have. http://www.nvrpa.org/park/bull_run/content/special_events_center

The Special Events Center is a separate area of Bull Run Regional Park with its own entrance off of Bull Run Drive in Centreville Virgina. The Special Events Center shares the same entrance as the Bull Run Shooting Center (a skeet, trap & archery facility).