Stonehenge gathering canceled, but summer solstice will be live-streamed

May 15, 2020 at 7:12 am CDT

By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

WILTSHIRE, England — The crowds of people who normally gather at the neolithic Stonehenge will not be celebrating the beginning of summer together.

The celebrations held at the ancient ruins have been canceled, ITV and other media outlets have reported.

The coronavirus lockdown and prohibition of public gatherings are causing the cancelation of the event, the Evening Standard reported.

Officials said they spoke with emergency services and the druid and pagan community before making the decision.

But that doesn’t mean the event won’t be held. This year English Heritage, the group that runs Stonehenge, will live stream from the site.

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For everyone's safety and wellbeing, we've had to cancel this year's summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge.

We know how special this occasion is to so many of you, and we'll be live streaming it for free online. pic.twitter.com/zMi0NzCmbO
— English Heritage (@EnglishHeritage) May 12, 2020

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You can catch the stream for free on English Heritage’s social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

The live stream will begin at 8:30 p.m. UTC (4:30 p.m. EDT) June 20 and will end around 5:30 a.m. UTC (1:30 a.m. EDT) June 21.

Stonehenge FILE - The coronavirus pandemic has scuttled summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge, a highlight of the year for thousands of British pagans, druids and assorted revelers. (Aijaz Rahi/AP)

Cox Media Group