Thousands Gather At Stonehenge For Summer Solstice

By NPR Staff and Wires

Published June 21, 2011 at 10:38 AM EDT

Revelers at Stonehenge, near Salisbury in England, cheered Tuesday as the sun finally broke through the clouds several hours after sunrise on the summer solstice.

Thousands of people swarmed over at the ancient megalith of Stonehenge on Tuesday to celebrate the dawn of the summer solstice — the longest day of the year.

More than 18,000 neopagans, new agers and curious visitors shouted and banged drums and tambourines at the Stonehenge circle, a group of giant stones in the middle of an English field, even though clouds blocked out the sunrise at 4:52 a.m. local time.

They braved heavy rain that fell across the Salisbury Plain, about 80 miles southwest of London, to mark the day. The solstice predates the Christian calendar and is a significant occasion for those who are Druids and Pagans, which are now recognized religions in Britain.

Police say the event was good-natured. They made just 20 arrests, most for minor drug offenses.

Stonehenge was built in three phases between 3000 B.C. and 1600 B.C. It is one of Britain's most popular tourist attractions, with more than 850,000 visitors a year.

Larry Miller reported from London for this story, which contains material from The Associated Press