Chasing the Sun: Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

It’s an age-old debate as to why the stones were erected in such a way, and theories vary from it acting as a neolithic calendar, a druid temple, a venue for religious or spiritual ceremonies, or a fancy burial site. The truth is, it’s acted as all of these things over the thousands of years it’s existed.  

By definition, a henge is a Neolithic circular or oval structure built into the earth to enclose some kind of monument. It consists of a raised outer ring (known as a bank) and a dug-out ring on the inside (known as a ditch). Ironically, the word ‘henge’ was derived from the name Stonehenge, but Stonehenge is not actually a true henge. This is because its ditch is on the outside of the bank!  

So Why Do People Go There?  

We know that thousands of people visit Stonehenge throughout the year to see one of history’s biggest mysteries with their own eyes. In 2024, it’s thought that about 1.4 million people visited the site throughout the year, but on the night of the 2025 Summer solstice alone, there was 25,000 people in attendance. These people are from all walks of life; Pagans, Druids, Hare Krishnas, hippies, stoners, free spirits, history lovers, tourists and many more.  
The reasons that people visit this monument on the Solstice are even more diverse. Some want to connect with their ancestors, some want to connect with like-minded people, some want to relive history, some are ticking it off their bucket lists, some are making a pilgrimage, some are there to feel the stones' energy, some are there for the gnarliest drug trip of their lives and some simply want to experience the vibes. 

We crawled along the dual carriageway where people were pulling onto the verges to park – to be fair, there weren’t any no parking signs here because organisers probably didn’t expect people to park along a dual carriageway- and made our way through the town. I ended up watching the sunset from my car window with a lovely view across the fields.  

Arrival and Entry

We finally reached the car park at Stonehenge Visitors Centre at 9:45pm where we were directed to park by event marshals. It was perfect that we convoyed directly behind one another so that I could ask to park directly behind my friend’s van so that we weren't separated. The vehicles that had arrived first got prime parking nearer the entrance to the field, but it appeared that cars and vans were initially segregated from each other, cars on one side of the field and vans and motorhomes on the other. I’m not sure when that idea was given up on, as it was a free-for-all by the time we were parking, but I was thankful for being able to be near my friends! We were actually directly next to an access lane/walkway, which also had its pros and cons.  

The car park costs £20, no matter what vehicle you have, which lasted until noon the next day, payable via PayByPhone (pro tip: I’d read online to download the app in advance, as signal is patchy, and this served me well as I had no trouble paying). After putting together a bag of supplies each (bottles of water, cans of pop, a picnic blanket, some small snacks and a jumper each), we began the 25-minute walk to the stones. It’s a relatively straightforward path to the field, which is lit up sporadically by floodlights, but it does get quite dark at points, so I’m glad I brought my torch.  

Food, Festivities & Felonious Behaviour 

Right after the security barrier, there were multiple food trucks, a merchandise tent (see what I mean about it feeling like a concert?), a gazebo with emergency personnel, some taps for refilling water bottles and a long line of portaloos.  
It was such a great line up of food stalls that I almost forgot the main attraction. There was everything you could dream of including crepes, burgers, pizza and even cheese on toast! I didn’t personally partake in any of the food stalls. Not only were the queues huge, but the prices were too... and I had just eaten the majority of a large pizza to myself.  

The whole area was lit up by these eerie blue floodlights, emitting just enough light to illuminate Stonehenge. Even without these lights, you wouldn’t need to query where to find it; just follow the drumming, chanting and singing that continued throughout the night. 
I’ve heard the phrase ‘electric’ used to describe the atmosphere of a place or event, but this is an understatement for Stonehenge. There’s truly no way to describe the experience- the way the sounds echo amongst the stones, people gathering together in celebration, chanting and spreading positivity amongst friends and strangers alike. There’s such a communal feel to it, like you’re seeing the most fruitful depths of what humanity has to offer. It makes you realise that there is no real divide between us all, we are all creative, loving, emotional, complex that almost makes you proud to be human... 

That being said, I witnessed some things that could have put a dampener on some people’s evenings. Now cast your mind back to those rules I explained earlier. I saw people with sleeping bags, big picnics with glass bottles of prosecco and beer, people burning Palo Santo wood, incense and other herbs (we all know which ones I mean), people were selling sky lanterns and releasing them (which was quickly stopped by the police officers present), and I even saw a few pop up tents despite the rules saying strictly no camping or sleeping in the field. Tents were banned even in the car park, but it was advised that you could sleep in your vehicle if you needed to- which I did. I do think the security could have been stricter with what people were able to bring into the field itself, but it also felt a bit overkill for a spiritual event and I’m not aware of any damage that was done, other than people climbing on the sacred stones, and no doubt there was a big litter pick operation required the next afternoon.  

We got back to the vehicles at 6:20am and decided that a few more hours of shut eye were needed before attempting to leave and drive home. I made myself a coffee, tucked myself back into bed, polished off the last slices of my pizza and nodded off. I woke up to an eerie silence and wondered if I’d somehow overslept. I needn’t have panicked though, as it was only an hour later, and the vehicles attempting to make their way off the site were at a standstill. Knowing I had plenty of time to kill, I had a few more hours of kip before preparing to leave.  
As I packed up my car and psyched myself up for the journey home, I noticed that someone had taken the liberty to relieve their bladder up the back of my car.  Remember when I said it ‘almost makes you proud to be human...’? Well, this was the reason for my ‘almost’. I get that when nature calls you must go, but you don’t have to go on my paintwork!  
By 11:20am, security was prompting people to leave the car park, which officially closes at noon. I breezed across the field to the exit at 11:30am, with no queues in sight!