A seemingly curious coalition of druids, pagans, hippies, residents, tourists and costumed witches and wizards gather around a prehistoric stone circle on a plain in southern England to express their devotion to the sun or to have some communal fun.
They will spend the night at Stonehenge, about 128 km (80 miles) southwest of London, and greet sunrise on Wednesday, which will be the longest day in the northern hemisphere.
This year, the summer solstice at Stonehenge runs from Tuesday 7pm (18:00 GMT) to Wednesday 8am (07:00 GMT).
For this one night, worshipers are allowed to spend the night inside the stone circle. Others sing or play their acoustic guitar.
Alcohol is also prohibited, as is the sound system. Bring a blanket, but no sleeping bag. And definitely, climb on no rock.
Stonehenge, one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments and a World Heritage Site, was built on the plains of Salisbury Plain in steps beginning 5,000 years ago, with unique stone circles built in the late Neolithic around 2,500 BC.
Some of the stones, the so-called bluestones, are known to come from the Presley Hills in southwest Wales, some 240 km (150 mi) away, but the origin of others remains a mystery.
The stones perfectly match the sun in both summer and winter. During the summer solstice, the sun rises behind the Hill Stone in the northeastern part of the horizon, and its first rays illuminate the heart of the stone circle.
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