As the first pale streaks of dawn crept across Salisbury Plain on December 21, 2025, a palpable sense of anticipation hung in the cold winter air at Stonehenge. Thousands of people, bundled in thick hats and scarves, huddled together in the predawn darkness, waiting for the sun to rise above the ancient stones. This was no ordinary morning. It was the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and for many, a deeply spiritual moment of renewal and celebration.
Stonehenge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, has drawn crowds for centuries on the solstices. Built between 5,000 and 3,500 years ago, the monument was designed with the movements of the sun in mind, its stones aligned to mark both the winter and summer solstices—key dates for ancient farmers and communities. According to BBC, the tradition of gathering at Stonehenge for the solstice is as old as the monument itself, with participants returning year after year to mark the turning of the seasons.
This year’s gathering began well before dawn. The gates opened at 5:15 a.m., and long queues quickly formed—even at the café, as revelers sought warmth and a hot drink to stave off the chill. Despite earlier forecasts warning of rain, the weather held, leaving only the rhythmic "downpour of drumsticks and the pitter-patter of dancing feet," as one live reporter for BBC described it. The temperature hovered around 8°C, but spirits were anything but cold.
As the clock struck 8:03 a.m., the sun finally crested the horizon, sending golden rays through the south-eastern arches of Stonehenge, known as the great trilithon. According to The Guardian, this alignment is no accident—Stonehenge was constructed to capture this very moment, when the sun’s lowest arc in the sky signals the return of longer days.
The crowd was a tapestry of humanity: folk dancers in bright red outfits and flower crowns, pagans in traditional dress, families clutching steaming mugs, and travelers from across the UK and as far afield as Australia and America. Some sang and beat drums, others performed Morris dances—a ritual symbolizing the rebirth of the Earth and the promise of brighter days ahead. Many simply stood in quiet reflection among the towering stones, soaking in the atmosphere.
Emma, Tom, and Bella Ridley-Thompson, a family from Nottingham, had awoken at 2 a.m. to make the three-hour journey to Stonehenge. "It’s just nice to get involved. This is a ceremony after all, so it’s nice to dress up and have a bit of respect," they told Daily Mail. Another attendee, Kim Tester, spoke to BBC about the personal significance of the event: "We’re coming out of the darkness and then into the light again, so for me, it’s about rebirth. We just love the atmosphere, it’s beautiful."
For some, the pilgrimage to Stonehenge is an annual tradition. "Many make the pilgrimage to the stone circle every summer and winter and consider it a spiritual experience," AP News reported. Others, like Bradley O’Neill from Australia, were fulfilling a lifelong dream. "I just like old mysteries. The world is full of questions and I’m not going to get many answers either, but I’m sure going to see something special," O’Neill told BBC. "Today we get to touch the stones and feel the energy. The presence they have, it’s actually fantastic. I feel special, in my heart."
The event’s inclusive spirit was on full display. Win Scutt, curator at English Heritage, described the morning’s gathering as a "fantastic atmosphere," noting the diversity of participants. "There’s just such a fantastic atmosphere here, so many different people, different kinds of people as well, many pagans, druids, all sorts of people," he told Hits Radio. "It’s got that power, hasn’t it, this incredible sight, that it draws people from all different walks of life. There’s something about Stonehenge that appeals to people in so many different ways and it’s lovely to share that."
For Golnar Pooya, a Persian Zoroastrian attending for the first time in England, the solstice was a powerful symbol of rebirth and unity. "We stay up all night, we have a lot of pomegranates—which symbolize birth, rebirth and life, and we gather with family, we read poetry until the sun rises, and the celebration is that the darkness is now over," Pooya shared with The Guardian. "For us it’s not a religious event, it’s more a tradition. It’s spectacular to see so many people from so many different cultures coming together, from so many different regions, just to see the sun rise and light come back to Earth."
Stonehenge’s stones, dating back to around 2,500 BC, were accessible to visitors like never before this year. Will Scutt of English Heritage urged attendees to respect the monument’s rare lichens and ancient carvings, emphasizing the importance of preserving the site for future generations. "We’ve got really rare lichens on them and incredible carvings on them, so I’m hoping that people will respect the stones," he said to Daily Mail.
The winter solstice, which typically falls on December 20, 21, or 22, occurs because the Earth is tilted on its axis by about 23.5 degrees relative to its orbit around the sun. This tilt means that on the solstice, the northern hemisphere receives the least amount of sunlight, with most of Britain experiencing about seven hours of daylight, according to Daily Mail. In Land’s End, Cornwall, the day lasts just over eight hours, while in Shetland, Scotland, it’s only about five and a half hours. Conversely, in the southern hemisphere, December 21 marks the longest day of the year and the start of summer.
The astronomical winter, based on the Earth’s tilt, began on December 21, 2025, and will end on March 20, 2026. In contrast, the meteorological winter—used by weather forecasters—always starts on December 1 and ends on February 28 or 29, depending on the year.
As the sun climbed higher and the crowd slowly dispersed, many lingered, reluctant to let go of the magic. The sense of shared experience, of marking the passage of time together at one of the world’s most mysterious monuments, was hard to leave behind. For those who gathered at Stonehenge this winter solstice, it was more than just a sunrise—it was a celebration of endurance, hope, and the enduring human need to connect with the cosmos and each other.
