Summer Solstice Celebration Ideas

The summer solstice marks the beginning of summer in some areas, while other parts of the world celebrate “midsummer” on the solstice. In 2019, the summer solstice will be at 8:54 AM Pacific, 11:54 Eastern, on Friday, June 21 in Northern Hemisphere. Learn all about the solstice and welcome the summer with these fun summer solstice celebration ideas!

People from cultures from all over the world have held summer solstice celebrations for thousands of years.

Traditionally, people celebrated renewal, life, fertility, and the potential for a good harvest on the summer solstice. Today people around the world still celebrate the arrival of summer with outdoor feasts, singing, dancing, and bonfires.

Related: Winter Solstice Celebration Ideas

Related: Summer Bucket List

When is the Solstice?

There are 2 solstices in every calendar year; one is in June while the other is in December. The exact time that the solstice occurs is the same across the globe, while the season that you welcome depends on the side of the equator that you live on.

On the June Solstice, those in the Northern Hemisphere celebrate the summer solstice, while those in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate the winter solstice. In December these are reversed.

In other words, the June solstice marks the astronomical end of spring and start of summer for the northern hemisphere, while the December solstice marks the astronomical end of fall and the beginning of winter for the southern hemisphere.

Related: Fun Summer Activities 

When is the Summer Solstice?

The solstice does not occur on the same date at the same time each year.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice usually falls between June 20 and June 22. In the Southern Hemisphere, the summer solstice most often occurs between December 20 and December 22.

The changing date of the summer solstice each year has to do with slight changes in the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar has 364 days in a calendar year to represent the amount of time it takes to travel around the sun.

An extra day needs to be added every fourth year in order to keep time with the seasons. This added day creates a “leap year” that causes the date of the solstice to shift a bit each year.

When is the Summer Solstice in 2019?

The summer solstice will occur at 8:54 AM Pacific on Friday, June 21, 2019, in the Northern Hemisphere.

This means that the summer solstice will occur on June 21st at 11:54 AM on the east coast, and 8:54 AM on the west coast of the United States.

What is the Solstice?

Planet Earth is tilted at about 23.5 degrees. This means that at different times of the year, either the northern or the southern hemisphere is closer to the sun. As a result, each hemisphere experiences half a year tilted toward the sun, and the other half tilted away from it.

The solstice marks the point in time that one of the Earth poles is in its maximum tilt toward the sun while the other is tilted away from the sun.

When the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun Canda, the United States, and Northern Mexico experience the longer warmer days of summer, while those in the southern hemisphere experience the shorter colder days of winter and vice versa.

In other words, the differences in the tilt mean that both hemispheres are struck by varying levels of radiation from the sun over the course of the year, and these differences in radiation cause the seasonal changes that we experience, while the temperatures near the equator remain relatively constant.

If you live in the Southern Hemisphere and will be welcoming the winter this June, pop over to have a look at our Winter Solstice Celebration Ideas.

What is the Summer Solstice?

The summer solstice occurs when Earth’s axis or pole is tilted toward the sun.

On the summer solstice, the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and is the longest day and the shortest night of the year.

After the summer solstice, the number of daylight hours will continue to get shorter and shorter until the autumnal equinox when day and night are said to be equal.

Once the equinox has been reached, the days continue to get shorter and shorter until the winter solstice. The day that the winter solstice occurs is thus the shortest day of the year.

The reason for this cool fact is a super fun science lesson for kids. It’s all about the tilt of the earth and its rotation around the sun in a single calendar year.

Related: Outdoor Activities for Kids

What is the Solstice and the Equinox?

The solstice marks the point in time that one of the Earth poles is in its maximum tilt toward the sun while the other is tilted away from the sun.

The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year. After the summer solstice, the days get shorter and shorter until the shortest day and the longest night of the year is reached on the winter solstice.

The spring and fall equinoxes occur in between the winter and summer solstices when day and night are said to be equal. Learn more about the spring and fall equinox at the links below!

• Spring Vernal Equinox Celebration Ideas
• Fall Autumnal Equinox Celebration Ideas

What is the Name of the Longest Day of the Year?

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year no matter which side of the equator you live on.

If you live in the northern hemisphere the longest day of the year will be on or around June 21. In the Southern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year will be on or around December 21.

Related: Summer Activities for Kids

How to Celebrate the Summer Solstice

Many cultures have held solstice celebration rituals for thousands of years.

Traditionally people celebrated renewal, life, fertility, inner and outer abundance, and the potential for a good harvest on the summer solstice.

Summer solstice celebrations often include rituals to release old, dark, energy and welcome a full rebirth of the light of the sun and the light that shines within each of us.

18 Fun Ways to Celebrate the Summer Solstice in 2018

Make the most of the longest day and the shortest night of the year by celebrating the summer solstice with any of the fun ideas below!

For more ideas check out our summer bucket list seasonal activity guide. If you live in the southern hemisphere, hop over to have a look at how to celebrate the winter solstice.

1. Visit Stonehenge

Okay, so this is probably not something many of us would be able to do… but there really is no better place to celebrate a solstice!

2. Bathe in the Light of the Sun

Visit a beach, pool, or park and bathe in the light of the sun for 20-30 minutes. Your own backyard would also be perfect! Be sure to apply chemical-free sunblock so you don’t get burned!

3. Design a Flower Crown

Making a flower crown is a traditional way to celebrate the summer solstice.

• How to Make a Flower Crown, 2 Ways by Say Yes
• Easiest DIY Midsummer Crown by Willowday (photo below)

4.  Make a Solstice Suncatcher

Suncatchers make a wonderful craft idea for the summer solstice. We love making suncatchers of all kinds to put in our windows and decorate our home. A suncatcher with a prism will help you capture the suns light to send rainbows all over the house, but the other ideas below are just as much fun!

• Rainbow Suncatcher with a Prism
• Heart Prism Suncatcher
• Flower Suncatcher Craft Ideas
• Rainbow Suncatcher Crafts

5. Get Creative with Sun Crafts

Make some easy sun crafts with your kids for a fun way to celebrate the beginning of summer. Click on the creator of the craft to see the step by step tutorial.

• How to Make a Mini Felt Sun | Bugs and Fishes
• Sunshine Weaving | The Nurture Store
• Sunburst Sensory Bottle
• Fingerprint Art Magnets – Make a Fingerprint Sun Magnet
• Easy Fingerprint Art Necklace – Make a Fingerprint Sun Necklace
• Fingerprint Art Keychain and Backpack Charms – Make a Fingerprint Sun Keychain

6. Do Some Gardening

As mentioned above, the summer solstice is traditionally a time to celebrate the potential for a good harvest. What better way to celebrate the potential of a good harvest than by getting out in the garden?

Start a garden, bring new life to your garden by planting something new, or just spend some time tending it. Use any of the gardening tutorials below to get started!

• How to plant Flowers
• Growing Sunflowers & How to Grow a Sunflower House (photo below)
• How to Make A Fairy Garden
• How to Plant Tomatoes
• Composting at Home: What, Why, and How to Compost

7. Enjoy Other Seasonal Arts, Crafts & Activities

Creating summer arts, crafts, and activities is a great way to celebrate the rebirth of light and the summer season. Here are a few summer art and craft ideas to get you started.

• Make a butterfly tree or some Monarch butterfly peg dolls.
• Enjoy this awesome collection of Flower art projects.
• Make shell sunflowers and shell daisies.
• Make mud pie mandalas.
• Human sundial shadow science experiment (My daughter and I are doing this science experiment on the solstices and equinoxes to see how our shadows change not only throughout the day but throughout the year. It’s been a super fun learning experience for both of us!)
• Create shadow sidewalk chalk art.
• Make easy felt flowers.
• Four seasons handprint and fingerprint tree – This is a great activity to do with your child to introduce the idea of seasonal changes. Feel free to do all seasons or just a summer tree. (photo below)

8. Add Summer Decor to your Home

Decorate your home with summer decor to welcome the light of the sun back into your home. Some of the seasonal crafts listed above, like a butterfly tree, would be perfect! You can also create your own Summer Nature Table.

9. Read Books about the Summer Solstice

Help your kids understand what the summer solstice is all about with any of these wonderful books about the summer solstice. A few options can be found below:

• Under Alaska’s Midnight Sun
• The Midsummer Mouse: Midsummer Tales of Tiptoes Lightly and the Summer Queen
• The longest Day: Celebrating the Summer Solstice (photo below)

10. Visit a local Farm

What better way to celebrate the sun than to eat juicy berries ripened by it? For more information pop over to read take your kids berry picking.

11. Have a Summer Solstice Feast

Invite friends and family over for a summer solstice feast filled with seasonal local foods. Visit your local farmers market, or a local farm, to gather all the goodies you need!

12. Attend a Bonfire

A bonfire is a great way to celebrate the summer solstice. Dance, sing, beat drums, play music, and celebrate the official beginning of summer.

Please be safe and follow city or county laws and regulations. For more information see 10 Tips for a Safe Bonfire with Kids.

13. Practice Yoga and/or Meditate

Practicing meditation and yoga is a great way to release old energy, welcome the light, and create inner and outer abundance as a part of your summer solstice celebration.

Did you know that the summer solstice has been named International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly?

That makes this the perfect day to practice yoga! Sun salutations (sun salutes) are a great way to honor the sun on the solstice.

You can even attend the summer solstice in time square, where the participants practice yoga sunup to sundown!

Not in New York? Participate via webcast.

 Here I am… practicing yoga on Venice Beach where I worked as an ocean lifeguard for 20 years.

14. Review and Renew Goals

The solstices and equinoxes are a great time of year to commit to a quarterly goal review.

Having a summer solstice gathering? Invite your guest to join you in this activity as another way to create the potential for inner and outer abundance.

• Setting Goals
• Create an Action Plan to Accomplish Goals
• Why I turn my Goals into Affirmations
• Monthly Goal Review

15. Set Intentions

After doing a goal review write down your intentions. Think of an intention as things, ideas, or habits that you would like to bring into your life.

16. Begin Something New

The summer solstice is traditionally celebrated as a time to let go of the old and begin fresh. Release old dark energy and create new light energy with a new project or goal set on the summer solstice.

• Make a list of everything you’ve been wanting to do.
• Pick your top three choices.
• Make a plan to start one and go from there. Don’t know where to start? See Creating Positive Habits.

17. Establish a Daily Rhythm

Start fresh this season and find room to manifest your new intentions. Establishing a rhythm will help you get organized and provide a framework for your day.

Children also thrive on rhythm in the home. Check out How to Plan Your Daily Rhythm for more information.

18. Get Outside & Connect

Get outside and connect with what matters on the solstice. You can start with a “signs of summer scavenger hunt.” How many signs can you find that summer has arrived?

For more information about Get Outside & Connect click on the link. You might also enjoy this HUGE collection of outdoor activities for kids.

Related: Camp Kindness Summer Camp for Kids

Fun Ways to Celebrate the Summer Solstice

There are many ways you can celebrate the summer solstice. Create a summer solstice celebration that is meaningful for you and your family to celebrate the sun and all it brings to us.

Don’t forget to check out our summer bucket list for more fun summer activities to do with kids.

If  You Liked Summer Solstice 2019 Ideas, You may also Like

• Celebrate the Winter Solstice
• 11 ways to Celebrate the Fall Autumnal Equinox
• 7 Ways to Celebrate the Spring Equinox

Nell Regan M.A.

Nell has over 20 years of experience working with children and is the founder of Rhythms of Play. She believes in the wonder of childhood, the power of the imagination, learning through play, and getting outside in all seasons! Learn more…