Modeling of dense granular flow has been subject to a large amount of research. Particularly discrete particle modeling has been of great importance because of the ability to describe the strongly coupled dynamics of the fluid and the solids in dense suspensions. Many studies have been reported on the validation of the translational particle velocities predicted by using these models. The rotational motion however has received far less attention, mainly because of the spherical nature of the particles under investigation and the lack of techniques with the capability to study the rotational behavior of the solid phase. In this study, we will for the first time present experimental data on the rotational behavior of particles in a pseudo two-dimensional fluidized bed setup using Magnetic Particle Tracking. In addition the experimental results are compared to data obtained from discrete particle simulations. (c) 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 3198-3207, 2015