Summer solstice celebrations around the world
Where: Quebec, Canada
The revelry: Declared a provincial holiday in 1925 by Quebec's legislature, June 24 celebrates both the summer solstice and the feast of John the Baptist, the patron saint of French-Canadians. Bonfires, revelry and parades take place throughout the province and the rest of Canada.
Where: Paris
The revelry: Also called World Music Day, this annual event is held June 21 and began in France in 1982. It has since spread to more than 100 countries. Streets are blocked off and musicians perform for free to celebrate the longest day of the year.
Where: New York City
The revelry: Talk about a challenge! Every year hundreds of yoga enthusiasts gather at New York's Times Square on June 21 to seek peace and tranquility in one of the noisiest and most distracting areas in the world.
Where: Stonehenge
The revelry: On June 21, families, party-goers, neo-pagans and travelers gather at Stonehenge as the rising sun perfectly aligns with the ancient, specially positioned stones.
Where: Santa Barbara, Calif.
The revelry: Starting in 1974, this late-June event is the biggest in the county, drawing around 100,000 people. It's grown into an explosion of arts, dance and music, complete with a Bollywood party.
Where: Seattle
The revelry: Folks work all year preparing floats, costumes, dance routines and zany antics for this bacchanalian bash in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. Thousands come to watch the fun, and the police just smile when they see the squadron of nearly naked bicyclists swarming through the streets.
Where: Sweden
The revelry: Since the Middle Ages, Swedes have considered the late-June celebration of Midsommardagento be one of the most important holidays of the year. The merrymaking is thought to have originated with seafaring warriors.
Where: Denmark
The revelry: The Danes officially call it Sankt Hans Aften. Unofficially, it's a nationwide party, with huge bonfires, drinking, carousing and general merrymaking.
Where: Cheshire, England
The revelry: It's one of Britain's oldest festivals and began more than 500 years ago. Enormous structures made of buckram and called "giants" are one of the parade's most famous features.
Where: Portugal
The revelry: Portuguese take summer solstice seriously -- as in serious fun! In Lisbon mass marriages take place, in Porto people carry a flowering garlic plant and in Porto and Braga fireworks streak the night sky.
Where: Fairbanks, Alaska
The revelry: Located close to the Arctic Circle, Fairbanks doesn't get dark at this time of year. In addition to the semipro baseball game, solstice activities include the Midnight Sun Run, the Midnight Sun Scramble and the Midnight Sun Street Fair, among other events.
Source: Special
