Thousands of people have greeted the sun with cheers as it rose over Stonehenge for the summer solstice. Those who observed the spectacle at the neolithic Wiltshire monument encountered a chilly morning accompanied by clear skies as the sun glinted over the horizon at 4.49am.
This year was the first time members of the public have been allowed to attend the solstice in person since 2019 – with the last two years’ events streamed online because of the pandemic. Wiltshire Police said the event passed off peacefully with around 6,000 people attending and just two arrests made.
Superintendent Phil Staynings said: “This year’s summer solstice – the first one celebrated as a public gathering at Stonehenge in three years – has been a success on many levels. Inevitably, there were some traffic delays approaching Stonehenge due to the sheer number of vehicles wanting to visit the site, but overall the whole event has passed off with no major incidents and the atmosphere remained convivial throughout – no doubt helped by the weather, which has been incredible this year.
