English Heritage was delighted to welcome around 8,000 people to Stonehenge this morning to celebrate the Summer Solstice sunrise – with approximately 154,000 people tuning-in from across the world to watch the sunset and sunrise on the charity’s livestream. 

A beautiful dawn followed a slightly misty sunrise which was greeted with drumming, chanting  and cheering from all those who came to Stonehenge to celebrate this important point in the calendar.

Nichola Tasker, English Heritage’s Director of Stonehenge, said: “Celebrating Summer Solstice is one of the highlights of the year at Stonehenge – both for the people who make the journey from near and far to welcome in the longest day, but also for the many people who join us from their homes to watch the sunset and sunrise on our livestream. Stonehenge continues to captivate and to bring people together to celebrate the seasons, just as it has done for thousands of years.

“There was a wonderful atmosphere from sunset to sunrise, and everybody enjoyed a very atmospheric morning.

“Summer Solstice at Stonehenge is a major operation and we couldn’t do it without our fantastic staff and volunteers but also the support of our partners, especially Wiltshire Police and Wiltshire Council. We look forward to welcoming people to the Summer Solstice again next year.”

Those who weren’t awake this morning to enjoy the sunrise at Stonehenge can watch the film of the livestream sunrise on the English Heritage social media channels.