BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: Stonehenge solstice

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Thursday, 21 June 2007, 13:44 GMT 14:44 UK

In pictures: Stonehenge solstice

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More than 24,000 people gathered at Stonehenge this year to celebrate the summer solstice.

A girl hula hoops within the stones

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Participants include druids, hedonists and hippies and each celebrates the event in his or her own way.

Dancing and drumming at the stones

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The party begins the night before and goes on well into the morning.

Celebrants greet each other

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The event is also a chance for friends and like-minded people to meet and catch up.

Some visitors shelter amongst the stones

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The 5,000-year old site is in the race to become one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

Sunrise over Stonehenge

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Dawn broke at 0458 BST on 21 June, marking the longest day of the year.

Sunrise over Stonehenge

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The cloudy conditions meant the sunrise was not as spectacular as it has been in some previous years.

Drumming is a tradition of the event

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The sunrise is often accompanied by whooping and cheering and drumming.

Revellers watch the sun rise

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English Heritage said there were about 4,000 more visitors than they had predicted.

A visitor catches up on sleep while hoards of visitors leave the site

A visitor catches up on sleep while hoards of visitors leave the site

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After the solstice, some of the celebrants were heading off to the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset.

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