Druids Celebrate Solstice at Stonehenge

Thousands of Druids and revelers, many beating drums and wearing robes, packed Stonehenge for the summer solstice Wednesday after being allowed into the ancient site for the first time since 1984.

English Heritage, which manages the circle of stones on Salisbury Plain in southern England, was pleased by the gathering, even if there was not much evidence of the sun.

“It was most definitely a success,” a spokeswoman said. “We were delighted at the large turnout, and we will consider more managed open access in the future.”

Dark skies and rain showers hardly dampened the festival, a gathering to celebrate the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

The circle of megaliths attracted about 6,000 visitors, including many from the pagan religious order of Druids, who danced and chanted to pipes and drums as the sun strained to break through dark clouds early Wednesday morning.

Revelers also packed the center of the stone circle, an area normally off limits to the public.

The banning of the Stonehenge Free Festival, an annual day of public access to the stones, sparked clashes in 1985 between riot police and visitors who had made spiritual pilgrimages to the site to perform religious rites.