Carl Klinkenborg and his wife Gigha kiss during their wedding ceremony as people gather to celebrate the summer solstice at Stonehenge in west England, early Sunday. (Akira Suemori/Associated Press)

Neo-Druids, New Age followers and partygoers drummed, danced or gyrated in hula hoops to stay awake through the night, as more than 35,000 people greeted the summer solstice Sunday at the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge in Britain.

Despite fears of trouble because of the record crowd, police said the annual party at the mysterious monument was mostly peaceful, though about 30 people were arrested on charges including drug offences, assault and drunk and disorderly conduct.

"It's the most magical place on the planet," said antique salesman Frank Somers, 43, dressed in the robes of his Druid faith.

"Inside when you touch the stones you feel a warmth like you're touching a tree, not a stone. There's a genuine love, you feel called to it," he said.

Warm weather and the solstice falling on a weekend helped draw a record crowd.

Annual tradition

The ancient stone circle at the prehistoric monument in southern England is the site of an annual night-long party — or religious ceremony, depending on perspective — marking the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice.

"There has been a great atmosphere and where else would you want to be on midsummer's day?" said Peter Carson of English Heritage, who is in charge of the monument.

Revellers pose for photographs as people gather to celebrate the summer solstice at Stonehenge on Sunday. (Akira Suemori/Associated Press)

Camera flashes bounced off the stones through the night until patchy rays of sunlight peaked through the clouds at 4:58 a.m. local time. A weak cheer went up as dawn broke and an estimated 35,000 people, some of them wrapped in blankets, greeted the sunrise.

"They come for a complete range of reasons," said archeologist Dave Batchelor of English Heritage, the site's caretaker. "Some belong to the Druidic religion and think of it as a temple, others think of it as a place of their ancestors, or for tranquillity and others come to see it as a way to celebrate the changing of the seasons."

Stonehenge, which sits on Salisbury Plain about 130 kilometres southwest of London, is one of Britain's most popular tourist attractions, visited by more than 750,000 people a year. It was built in three phases between 3000 BC and 1600 BC.

Police closed the site in 1984 after repeated clashes with revellers. English Heritage began allowing full access to the site again in 2000 and the celebrations have been largely peaceful.

The solstice is one of the few times during the year that visitors can get close enough to touch the stones. With record numbers attending the free festival because it falls on a weekend, extra police officers were on patrol.

But with problems at a minimum, the crowd reverted to a carnival atmosphere. Some revellers used hula hoops to stay awake until the sunrise; other simply clapped and danced among the stones.

English Heritage said revellers would only be allowed to bring in four cans of beer or a bottle of wine each, and advised that "illegal drugs are still illegal at Stonehenge as they are anywhere else."

Shrouded in mystery

Mystery surrounding the monument has long prompted speculation about its original function and gives it even more of an allure, Batchelor said.

Some theories hold that the stone circle was a grave site because 350 burial mounds surround the structure.

In May, archeologists found evidence indicating that pilgrims perceived the stones to have healing powers. And some assert that the structure was part of an ancient astronomical calendar.

Still other experts believe the stones were aligned by a sophisticated sun-worshipping culture that possessed the ingenuity to move the several-ton stones, some of which came from 240 kilometres away in the Preseli Mountains in Wales.

But because it was built so long ago, there is no record of why the monument was erected, said Batchelor.

"All of that sort of stuff we don't have, so when it comes to ascribing a modern-day reason depends on the viewpoint ... that's the fascination," Batchelor said.