Reserving Picnic Sites

The City of Bowie offers a variety of picnic options in our parks, some require reservations and others are available on a first come, first served basis. There are covered pavilion sites and group areas that can be rented at Allen Pond Park and Whitemarsh Park. All groups of more than 25 are required to have a picnic permit. All free sites (family areas) at other City parks can be viewed on the individual park pages. Rental fees are set by City Council and specified in the annual City of Bowie Budget.

Picnic Site Rental

For groups of 25 or less, there are approximately 16 family picnic areas throughout Allen Pond Park and 1 family picnic area at Whitemarsh Park that are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Not all family areas have grills. It is suggested that you visit the park prior to your picnic day to be sure your selected area is appropriate for your picnic. All groups of more than 25 people must obtain a valid picnic permit for an appropriate site.

Allen Pond Park

The following picnic areas are available for rental at this park:

View a map of picnic sites at Allen Pond Park.

Picnic Areas and Fees for Allen Pond Park
Map Code	Area Name	Details				Rental Rate*		Security Deposit
		# Tables	# Grills	Outlets	Capacity	Resident	Non-resident	Resident	Non-resident
East	East Pavilion	10	2	4	80	$80	$240	$80	$240
West	West Pavilion	10	2	4	80	$80	$240	$80	$240
3	Group Area - 3	6	2	N/A	48	$50	$150	$50	$150
4	Group Area - 4	6	3	N/A	48	$50	$150	$50	$150
5	Group Area - 5	4	2	N/A	32	$35	$105	$35	$105
6	Group Area - 6	4	2	N/A	32	$35	$105	$35	$105
7	Group Area - 7	6	3	N/A	48	$50	$150	$50	$150
8	Group Area - 8	4	2	N/A	32	$35	$105	$35	$105

* There is an additional fee if alcohol will be consumed at the picnic site or if electricity is needed.

Whitemarsh Park

There is one large picnic pavilion available for rent at this park.

View a map of picnic sites at Whitemarsh Park.

Picnic Areas and Fees for Whitemarsh Park
Map Code	Area Name	Details				Rental Rate*		Security Deposit
		# Tables	# Grills	Outlets	Capacity	Resident	Non-resident	Resident	Non-resident
	Whitemarsh Pavilion	10	3	N/A	150	$50	$100	$50	$100

* There is an additional fee if alcohol will be consumed at the picnic site.

Other Fees

There is an additional cost to use electricity (at the East and West Pavilions at Allen Pond Park). The consumption of alcohol requires an additional permit and may only be obtained for group areas or pavilion picnic sites.

Other Fees
	Resident Fee	Non-resident Fee	Resident Deposit	Non-resident Deposit
Electricity Fee	$20	$40	n/a	n/a
Alcohol Permit	$100	$200	$100	$200

If you need facilities for large groups, please check the Maryland National Capital’s Park and Planning Commission’s Department of Parks and Recreation website.

Making a Picnic Reservation

Persons wishing to reserve a picnic site must do so in person at the Recreation Window at City Hall, 15901 Excalibur Rd., Bowie, MD 20716. Reservations are accepted Monday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Resident picnic reservations may be placed up to 1-year in advance of the picnic date and non-resident picnic reservations may be placed up to 6-months in advance of the picnic date. See below for a description of residency.

What You Need to Make a Picnic Reservation:

1. Picture I.D. (driver's license, etc.) with printed address (address of applicant must reside within the incorporated City limits of Bowie if claiming residency) or Picture I.D. and either 1) a current voter registration card, or 2) a recent utility bill verifying residency.

2. Payment in full (including rental fee, security deposit and other fees that apply) in the form of cash, credit card or check, made payable to the City of Bowie. All checks must contain an address that is within the incorporated City limits of Bowie.

3. If the picnic is to be catered, the catering company must be specified on the permit when the reservation is made. The arrival time of the caterer must also be provided.

Reservations made within 14 days of picnic date require payment in the form of cash, money order or credit card.

Residency

Residents are those who live in the “incorporated” City limits of Bowie (property taxes are paid to the City). In some cases, you might have a Bowie postal address, but not live in the incorporated area of Bowie (taxes are paid to the County, but not to the City), in which case you will be charged a non-resident rental rate. If you wish to find out your residency status go to the Maryland Real Property website . Select Prince George’s County, and enter your address. Under the Special Tax Area, it should have the following information:

Special Tax Areas

Town:

BOWIE

If it does not say Bowie, then you do not pay taxes to the City of Bowie and are considered a non-Bowie resident. You will be required to pay the non-resident rental rates. If you have any questions, please call City Hall at 301-809-3011.

Some picnic sites are not available around certain City sponsored events. These include Bowiefest (June), the Fourth of July, the Salute to America Concert (September) and the Internationa Festival (October). For specific site availability,

Picnic Reservation Information and Procedures

The following information will help you to better understand what Allen Pond and Whitemarsh Parks have to offer and what is expected of park users. Please review the Park Rules page before placing your reservation to insure the plans for your event do not conflict with City rules and do not ruin your picnic. In addition you may wish to download a Frequently Asked Questions by Picnic Permit Holders & Park Patrons brochure.

General Information

Access to the Site

Picnic areas are available for use from 10:00 a.m. to dusk.

Be sure to set up in correct picnic area (signs are posted) and have permit in possession. There is limited access to all picnic areas. Only approved catering vehicles will be permitted vehicular access to the pavilions (limited to 1 vehicle).

Users are encouraged to bring handcarts to transport items to their picnic site. Catering company information must be included on picnic permit.

It is the responsibility of the permit holder to bring a wheelchair or walker for those individuals who may require assistance in accessing the picnic site. Vehicles will not be permitted to drive to the picnic site to drop off supplies or transport handicapped or elderly persons.

Site Condition

It is the permit holder's responsibility to leave the picnic site clean and place all trash in trash receptacles. It is necessary to notify the Park Ranger when you are ready to leave to verify conditions of area and equipment and to sign Post Picnic Checklist. A Park Ranger may be contacted by calling 240-508-3881. Future permits will be denied and/or security deposit will be forfeited if improper use of park facilities is determined, the site capacity is exceeded, or if the permit holder does not sign a post-picnic checklist provided by a Park Ranger. The City is not responsible for leaves, dirt, etc. that may naturally occur in areas.

Alcohol Consumption

Alcoholic beverages are allowed in reserved picnic areas by permit only.

Amplified Sound

The use of portable radios, karaoke machines, or other music producing devices is prohibited.

Electricity

Electricity in reserved pavilion areas is by permit only, and may require the use of an extension cord, which must be provided by the user group. Electricity is not available for Group Areas.

Grills

Grills are restricted to areas for which you have a permit only. Oil fryers and steamers are prohibited.

Permit Holder Responsibilities

Individual to whom the permit is issued MUST be present during entire picnic. If resident picnic permit, resident MUST be present during entire picnic.

Permit must be in the possession of the person to whom it is issued (person in charge) and presented, along with photo identification, on site, upon request to any above-mentioned representative. The reserved site is subject to unannounced inspection by an authorized representative of the City of Bowie in order to assure proper use of the Park property in compliance with Park Rules and Regulations.

Severe Weather

You have rented a picnic site that is in an outdoor park setting where the weather cannot be controlled. It is the permit holder’s responsibility to insure direct safety and welfare of their guests during their event. The City recommends the permit holder closely monitor the weather during their event and have plans in place in the event severe weather threatens the area.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is responsible for issuing Severe Weather “Watch” or “Warning” announcements when severe weather threatens an area. Should a Watch or Warning be issued, please instruct your guests to seek shelter in an appropriate location. The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states, “The best shelter is a substantial building that has plumbing and wiring--in other words, one that is used or lived in by people for a major portion of the day. A very unsafe building for lightning has only a roof and some supports, but no wiring or pipes extending into the ground. A vehicle with a metal roof provides good shelter, and is much better than being in the open or in an ungrounded building, but is not as good as being in a building that is grounded by wires and pipes.”

Security Deposit Return and Cancellation Procedures

Return of Security Deposits

The security deposit will be refunded within 21 days via U.S. mail following the picnic provided all park rules and regulations are adhered to, the capacity is not exceeded and the area is left in clean condition.

Cancellation Fee Assessment & Refunds

There will be no refunds for inclement weather.

Cancellations are defined as a change of date, location, or the termination of a picnic permit. If you must cancel your picnic reservation, all fees, except the site rental fee, will be refunded.

If the picnic site is reserved by another group, the $25 picnic cancellation charge will be withheld from your picnic site rental fee. The remaining balance will be refunded.

If the picnic site is not reserved by another group, your site rental fee is forfeited. No additional cancellation fee is applied.

Should you need to cancel a reservation, please notify the Recreation Office during regular business hours prior to the picnic date.

Only the permit holder may cancel a picnic permit. Photo identification is required at time of cancellation. For additional questions, please contact the Recreation Office at 301-809-3011, Monday-Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

City checks will be issued for all refunds. There will be no cash or credit card refunds. Checks will be mailed to the permit holder within 21 business days following the date of the event. Cancellation refunds will be issued if another group rents the site on the reserved date and will be processed at the end of every month.

Athletic Field Use (Requires Special Athletic Field Permit)

The use of Andy Brown soccer field /Softball field #3 at Allen Pond Park is available for use by picnic permit holders on Saturday and Sunday, Memorial Day - Labor Day, between the hours of 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m provided a special athletic field permit has been obtained. Reservations for athletic field use are subject to availability, require an additional fee at time of reservation and may not exceed 2 hours. Athletic field permits not in association with a picnic permit and/or outside of the days/times listed above, must be obtained from the Park Operations Manager by calling 301-809-3086.


Department of Community Services Recreation Office
301-809-3011 301-262-6200, ext. 3011 TTY: 301-262-5013 FAX: 301-809-2314 Nick Spurgeon, Park Operations Manager301-809-3086 Email	Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Email: Reservations: Erica Kennedy 301-809-3011 Email