Monday 21 December 2026 · checked 26 Oct 2026
The December solstice falls on Monday 21 December 2026 at 20:50 UT (US Naval Observatory), so the sunrise ceremonies are on the mornings of 21 to 23 December. English Heritage lists Stonehenge sunrise access for Tuesday 22 December 2026 (car park opens 05:15, sunrise about 08:09). The Newgrange chamber is by lottery only and the 2026 draw has closed. Below: what the official pages confirm, solo tips, and what we could not confirm.
A plain guide for people going alone. Everything labelled as confirmed comes from an official page read on 26 Oct 2026 with plain requests. Dates for 2026 that nobody has published yet are marked as unconfirmed, with what usually happens next to them.
| Place or event | What the official page says | For going alone |
|---|---|---|
| The solstice itself | The US Naval Observatory’s API lists the December solstice 2026 on Monday 21 December at 20:50 UT (GMT, so 21:50 in central Europe). It happens at night, so the sunrise gatherings are held on the mornings around it. | Pick a morning, not the exact minute. For Stonehenge that is Tuesday 22 December. |
| Stonehenge, Wiltshire (English Heritage) | Tuesday 22 December 2026. Car park opens 05:15; sunrise about 08:09; last parking admission 09:00, and 07:00 for viewing the sunrise; everyone must leave the car park by 11:00. English Heritage strongly advises not to go by car: parking must be pre-booked (£16 car or van, £21 motorhome, £5 motorbike) and Salisbury Reds run special buses from Salisbury Rail Station and the city centre via Amesbury. The walk from the visitor centre to the stones is 25 to 30 minutes, or a shuttle bus. The page does not give an entry price or say whether parking or bus tickets are on sale yet. | Go by bus from Salisbury and you need no parking ticket. Arrive well before sunrise, with a torch. |
| Newgrange, Co. Meath (OPW / Heritage Ireland) | The rising sun lights the chamber through the roof-box for several days around 21 December, for up to 17 minutes depending on the weather. Places inside are by lottery only, and the lottery site now takes entries for the 2027 draw only, so the 2026 draw is closed. Entry is by online form, over 10s only (under 18s need an adult), one entry per email, places are non-transferable and winners show photo ID at the Visitor Centre. | If you did not win, enter the 2027 lottery before midnight Irish time on Sunday 26 September 2027. Later entries go into 2028. |
| Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre | Opens earlier on the solstice mornings (19 to 23 December), with regular tour options suspended. Closed 24 to 27 December and 1 January. December hours listed: 9:00 to 16:15. Book tours online. | Do not turn up expecting a normal Newgrange tour that week. Check the page first. |
| Burning the Clocks, Brighton (Same Sky) | The charity says the lantern procession will return in full in 2026 with a new effigy on the theme “Magicada”. It describes the event as held on the winter solstice with a lantern parade to the beach, a bonfire and a fire show. The 2026 date, time, route and entry terms are not published on the page we read, which was written in 2025. | Unconfirmed for 2026. 21 December is a Monday. Watch the Same Sky page and join a lantern workshop if one is announced. |
| Sunrise times | US Naval Observatory: on 22 December the Sun rises at 08:09 at Stonehenge and sets at 16:02; at Newgrange it rises at 08:41 on 21 December and 08:42 on 22 December (GMT). | Daylight lasts about eight hours. Plan for a dark walk in and a dark walk out. |
| Watching online | English Heritage says it will livestream the Winter Solstice sunrise for free on its Facebook and YouTube channels. It also runs the Stonehenge Skyscape site. Heritage Ireland’s page links the recording of the 2025 Newgrange stream; a 2026 stream is not announced. | A warm plan B if the weather or the buses beat you. |
Weekdays: 19 Dec Saturday, 21 Dec Monday, 22 Dec Tuesday, 23 Dec Wednesday, 24 Dec Thursday. Prices and times are those shown on the official pages on 26 Oct 2026 and can change. The Stonehenge winter details sit in a section headed “Attending Winter Solstice” on English Heritage’s Summer Solstice 2026 page, because its own winter page was not found.
What we found
Pick one place. Each of these works without a friend.
Wiltshire Police and the ambulance service are at Stonehenge according to English Heritage, with stewards at the site and the car park, and everyone attends at their own risk. Our suggestions, not official: tell someone where you are going and when you plan to be back, keep your phone charged and carry a power bank (cold drains batteries), write down the time of the last bus, and stay on the marked paths in the dark. For more ideas on how to spend the festive season alone, see our page on the holidays alone.
We looked for other free solstice events in Europe with an official 2026 page. We found none we could confirm, so we list none. Maeshowe in Orkney is famous for its midwinter sunset alignment, but Historic Environment Scotland’s site blocked our plain request (403), which we did not work around, so it is unconfirmed. We also found no official 2026 page for Scandinavian or Baltic city solstice events. If you know one with an official page, tell us. Not sure where to start? See who else is going on the Meet & Mint map.
Sources
Checked 26 Oct 2026 with plain requests. Unconfirmed: whether Stonehenge parking and bus tickets are on sale and whether any entry fee applies (not stated); the English Heritage winter-solstice page at its own address returned 404; Newgrange outside-gathering rules and a 2026 livestream; the 2026 date, time and route of Burning the Clocks; Maeshowe (Historic Environment Scotland returned 403 and we did not work around it); any Scandinavian or Baltic events.
How it works
The US Naval Observatory lists it for Monday 21 December 2026 at 20:50 UT. The sunrise gatherings are on the mornings around that date.
English Heritage lists a Winter Solstice 2026 on Tuesday 22 December, with the car park opening at 05:15 and sunrise about 08:09. It says to take the Salisbury Reds bus rather than drive. Check its page for ticket and parking updates.
The 2026 draw is closed: the lottery site now takes entries for 2027, until midnight Irish time on Sunday 26 September 2027.
About 08:09 GMT, according to both English Heritage and the US Naval Observatory.
The organiser says it returns in 2026, but it has not published the date, time or route on the page we read. It is usually held on 21 December, so check Same Sky.
English Heritage has stewards, police and ambulance at Stonehenge. Tell someone your plan, carry a torch and a charged phone, and know your bus back.
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