THOUSANDS of people descended on Stonehenge at the weekend to welcome in the longest day of the year.

25,000 revellers were reported to have made the pilgrimage up to the stones on Saturday (June 21) to watch the sun rise for the summer solstice.

The traditional sounds of drumming, chanting, cheering and dancing welcomed in the rising sun as people took the opportunity to get close to the stones – one of the very few chances the public gets, as they are otherwise fenced off.

The celebrations were watched by more than 400,000 people through a live stream, as people at the World Heritage Site dealt with temperatures reaching 33 degrees.

One attendee, Julia, said it was “beautiful” to see so many people come together in peace and harmony to welcome in the longest day.

“At a time when there is so much strife around the world, it’s moments like this that you realise what a lovely place we live in and that we are given the freedom to celebrate important spiritual ceremonies such as this and connect with nature,” she said.

Picture: English Heritage

READ MORE: ‘Pay to pray’ accusations after Stonehenge Solstice parking fees hiked

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The event was attended by many tourists from across the world, with many druids and pagans holding ceremonies and connecting with the site, as predecessors did before them.

Criticism was previously made of English Heritage, who own the site, by long-time campaigner for free access to Stonehenge, King Arthur Pendragon, as they increased parking charges from £15 to £20 this year.

Read more about that here.

Traffic issues

This year’s event was praised by Wiltshire Police, who thanked everyone for marking the event safely and responsibly.

They did, however, have to close roads around the stones after the car park at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre became full, which caused some to park on the side of the road.

Chief superintendent Doug Downing said, “This year’s summer solstice was a safe and successful occasion, and I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended, our communities and the visitors to the site.

“There were some traffic issues due to vehicles being abandoned, which meant we had to close some roads around the site for the protection of pedestrians on the A303 and A360.

Picture: English Heritage

“Once the car park at Stonehenge was full, motorists chose to park along the main roads, which caused further safety concerns and traffic management issues. We appreciate the patience of those affected by the delays.

“We would also like to thank our partners, stakeholders and, of course, the National Trust together with English Heritage, for working with us because collectively we have ensured that everyone could enjoy the event peacefully.

“And finally, thank you to our officers, staff and volunteers who worked through the night at such an incredible event.”

History of summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge

People have been gathering at the stones for both the summer and winter solstices for many generations as part of celebrations, rituals and ceremonies relating to the changing seasons.

It is thought that the stones, which were put together around 2500 BC, were designed to align with the movements of the sun.

During the summer solstice, those standing in the middle of the stone circle can see the sun rising to the left of the large standing stone just outside the circle, called the Heel Stone, which can be seen through a gap in the outer sarsen circle.

English Heritage say excavations show that the Heel Stone could have had a partner, which would mean the sun would have been framed between the two stones.

A study conducted last year revealed that Stonehenge’s massive ‘altar stone’ – weighing in at a whopping six tonnes and measuring some five metres long – came from Scotland, not Wales as originally thought.

Analysis of the stone – the largest bluestone on the Wiltshire site – has revealed it was dragged or floated from a north east corner of Scotland – travelling at least 466 miles to south west England, and may even have hailed from the Orkney islands.

However, the question of how the stone made its almost-500-mile journey to Wiltshire is unknown.