The celebrations of the winter solstice have been called by many names, including jul in Scandinavia, or Yule in Britain.
No pre-booking is required. Visitors are asked to highlight their Blue Badge to stewards on arrival so that they can be directed to an appropriate parking space. Winter Solstice at Stonehenge will take place on Sunday 22 December 2019. Visitors will be able to access the monument as soon as it is light enough to do so safely.
Observers at Stonehenge at the winter solstice, standing in the enclosure entrance and facing the centre of the stones, can watch the sun set in the south-west part of the horizon. At Stonehenge on the summer solstice, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone in the north-east part of the horizon and its first rays shine into the heart of Stonehenge. The 12 day Scandinavian festival which centred around the solstice has given us many of our modern traditions including the Christmas tree, the Yule log and the Christmas wreath. Find out more about the importance of the solstice axis at Stonehenge and what else we have learnt about the alignment of the stones. At Stonehenge on the summer solstice, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone in the north-east part of the horizon and its first rays shine into the heart of Stonehenge. The stones of Stonehenge have silently marked the winter solstice for thousands of years.Observers at Stonehenge at the winter solstice, standing in the enclosure entrance and facing the centre of the stones, can watch the sun set in the south-west part of the horizon. Aside from the technical and informational aspects of Skyscape it’s also our hope that you’ll enjoy it from a more human perspective. Well there are two times of year when you should be visiting the iconic Stonehenge monument, and that’s during the summer solstice at Stonehenge (the shortest day of the year – June 21st) and the winter solstice (December 22nd). Here at Stonehenge Summer Solstice Festival (aka Solsticefest) we have now taken the very sad decision as to not proceed with the 2020 Summer Solstice Festival, following several meetings it has been decided that as English Heritage has cancelled and we feel it would be inappropriate to hold a festival as we feel that to impose the current social distancing guidelines would take the vibe of the festival away. Please do check back nearer the time for the confirmed schedule.The parking charge helps the charity cover the costs of providing additional staffing and lighting in the car parks and is designed to encourage people to car share or travel by bus.A shuttle will run from the Visitor Centre to the Monument and visitors with accessibility requirements will have priority. These Conditions of Entry are written to ensure enjoyment and public safety for everyone. Contravention of any of these conditions may result in entry being refused or your removal from Stonehenge. English Heritage reserves the right to refuse entry.Parking for Blue Badge holders is available at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre Car Park. For further information about Managed Open Access for Winter Solstice at Stonehenge, please call English Heritage Customer Services Solstice Information Hotline on 0370 333 1181.7.45am (approximately depending on light levels): Monument field opens 10am: Monument field closes Please help us to create a peaceful occasion by taking personal responsibility and following the Conditions of Entry and guidelines. We have a duty of care to ensure public safety and are responsible for the protection of Stonehenge and its surrounding monuments. If we are to ensure that future access is sustainable, it is essential that everyone observes and abides by these Conditions of Entry.The following timings are subject to change.