Stonehenge Winter Solstice 2026: Free Access Tue. 22 December, Parking and Sunrise Time

English Heritage gives free access to Stonehenge on Tuesday 22 December 2026 to celebrate the winter solstice, with the car park opening at 5:15am and sunrise at 8:09am (approximate) Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), according to the charity’s Winter Solstice 2026 page. Parking must be pre-booked, and the car park has to be cleared by 11:00am. This story sets out the morning in order, the parking prices, the US Eastern Time (ET) equivalents for the livestream and the rules for visitors.

What is the timeline for Stonehenge on 22 December 2026?

All times are from English Heritage and are UK time, which is GMT in December. The sunrise time is approximate, as English Heritage says. The ET column is our conversion (GMT minus five hours).

Step	UK time (GMT)	US Eastern Time (ET)
Car park opens	5:15am	12:15 a.m.
Last parking admission for viewing the sunrise	7:00am	2:00 a.m.
Sunrise (approximate)	8:09am	3:09 a.m.
Last parking admission	9:00am	4:00 a.m.
Visitors must vacate the car park	11:00am	6:00 a.m.

English Heritage says a shuttle bus will operate from the Stonehenge Visitor Centre to the Stone Circle at regular intervals. Its page gives no opening or closing times for the stone circle itself, so none are listed here.

How much does parking cost at Stonehenge for the solstice?

English Heritage says you must pre-book parking if you are not travelling by public transport, and that cars and other vehicles without a booking will be turned away.

Vehicle	Price
Car or van	£16
Motorhome	£21
Motorbike	£5
Blue-badge holder (limited number, pre-book)	£16 per vehicle

The page gives no price for coaches or minibuses. Because of road closures and heavy traffic, English Heritage strongly advises public transport. It names Salisbury Reds buses from Salisbury via Amesbury; check that operator for times.

Why is the Stonehenge solstice on 22 December?

English Heritage’s page does not explain the date. Our reading of the US Naval Observatory (USNO) data is this: the December solstice falls on Monday 21 December 2026 at 20:50 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is 20:50 GMT and 3:50 p.m. ET. That is after sunset that day in Britain, so Tuesday 22 December’s sunrise is the first one after the solstice. This is our interpretation, not English Heritage’s statement. For the solstice in US time zones and daylight by city, see our story on the winter solstice 2026. Ticket resellers who give 21 December 2026 differ from English Heritage’s page, which gives Tuesday 22 December.

How can you watch the Stonehenge sunrise from the US?

English Heritage says it will live stream the winter solstice sunrise for free on its digital channels. Sunrise at 8:09am GMT is 3:09 a.m. ET, so the sunrise falls in the early hours on the US East Coast. The page does not say when the stream starts.

What are the rules at Stonehenge during the solstice?

• No drugs or alcohol are permitted in any area of Stonehenge.
• Glass is banned to protect livestock, wildlife and barefoot visitors.
• Except for assistance dogs, no pets or other animals may be brought, to protect wildlife.

How many people came in 2025?

Last year’s celebration was on Sunday 21 December 2025. In its release dated 22 December 2025, English Heritage said it “was thrilled to welcome around 8,500 people to Stonehenge this morning”.

Print the morning plan

The one-page plan lists the five times above with ET equivalents and tick boxes. Mark 22 December on the December 2026 printable calendar or the printable weekly calendar. The same night brings the Ursid meteor shower, covered in our Ursids 2026 guide.