Every summer, thousands of travellers make their way to Stonehenge in Wiltshire, UK, to witness the summer solstice celebrations held on June 21. However, owing to the global pandemic this year, the event has been cancelled and for the first time ever, Stonehenge will livestream the event on social media. &rdquoWe have consulted widely on whether we could have proceeded safely and we would have dearly liked to host the event as per usual, but sadly, in the end, we feel we have no choice but to cancel,&rdquo said Stonehenge director Nichola Tasker in a statement.
&ldquoWe can't welcome you in person this year because of the measures in place to combat coronavirus &ndash but our live coverage of sunset and sunrise means you won't miss a moment of this special occasion. Our cameras will capture the best views of Stonehenge, allowing you to connect with this spiritual place from the comfort of your own home. Please, to help keep everyone safe, do not travel to Stonehenge for summer solstice this year. We look forward to welcoming you in person at next year's event,&rdquo said a Stonehenge statement.
The Stonehenge is one of the world&rsquos most famous pre-historic monuments and today, together with Avebury, it forms the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is believed that the ancient cultures were aware of the movement of the earth and built Stonehenge to possibly mark the solstices as during the summer solstice, the sun rises just over the structure&rsquos Heel Stone and hits the Altar Stone dead center. The summer solstice occurs when the sun, after travelling the longest path through the sky, is directly over the Tropic of Cancer.
You can watch the live sessions via all their social media handles. The broadcast will feature the the sunset on Saturday, June 20 at 2026 GMT (2126 BST) and the sunrise on Sunday, June 21 at 0352 GMT (0452 BST). The livestreams will also be saved on their Facebook page, in case you miss watching them the first time. You can also take a virtual tour of the the Stonehenge here.