Photos! How people celebrated the longest day of the year

Thousands gathered at the Neolithic-era monument to welcome the sunrise. 

Thousands gathered at Stonehenge, a world heritage site,  on June 21 to watch the sunrise for the summer solstice. 

Considered an annual highlight, this is a tradition that has been followed for over thousands of years, and this year over 9,000 people turned up to mark the longest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere.

On summer solstice, the sun rises exactly behind the Heel Stone, which channels sunlight into the centre of the circle of stone monoliths.

Take a look at the pics.