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Stonehenge Stoners and Worshipping Wizards: 12 Hours at the World’s Biggest Pagan Party

We traveled to Stonehenge on the summer solstice—one of the most sacred days for pagans—to find out if the event's spiritual significance has survived the recent influx of drunken revelers.

Stonehenge, an ancient site connected with paganism, is a place filled with mysticism and legends. The summer solstice, the longest day of the year, is one of the most sacred holidays for pagans. In recent years, however, the festival has started attracting thousands of people who seemingly just want to get fucked up among the stones.

This year is particularly—and bizarrely—controversial: Some druids, led by a man named King Arthur Pendragon, protested the event entirely; others stayed and performed rituals as usual; and thousands of non-pagans showed up just to have a good time.

Broadly editor Callie Beusman attends the festival, meeting druids, King Arthur, the Merlin of England, and more bongo enthusiasts than one could ever imagine on the way.