SALISBURY, England (AP) -- About 20,000 New Agers and neo-pagans cavorted with delight this morning to mark the summer solstice as a bright early morning sun rose above the ancient Stonehenge formation. Drums, tambourines, and cheers reverberated in the background.
The event typically draws thousands of alternative-minded revelers to the monument to party all night as they wait for dawn at the Heel Stone. That's a pockmarked pillar just outside the circle proper, which aligns with the rising sun.
Unlike previous years, when the sunrise has been obscured by clouds, the bright sun bathed the monument in orange and gold today.
Simon Banton, a 45-year-old education volunteer for English Heritage, the body that manages the site, says a good sunrise happens "one time in maybe 10."
The solstice marks the longest day of the year north of the equator.
