Change Itinerary to see Trooping of the Colour & Summer Solstice at Stonehenge?

Yes, the Trooping the Colour parade is very worthwhile and memorable. It begins at 10am at the Horse Guards Parade near the Admiralty House and then moves up the Mall toward Buckingham Palace. The conclusion is at 1 pm when the Royal Family appears on the balcony at the palace and then there is a Royal Air Force flyover followed by a red, white and blue vapor trail— the colors of the Union Jack flag.
I found the parade spectators were very well-behaved and calm— not at all rude or out of control. There are, of course, many people lining the Mall, but it’s very organized and well-policed. It’s not at all like an American crowd watching a winning Super Bowl team victory parade.
I still have the photo of Queen Elizabeth taken while she was in her carriage looking directly at my camera from about 30 feet away

If you arrive about 8:30am you may be able to find a great viantage point near the National Police Memorial at the intersection of Horse Guards Road and the Mall.

If you want to see the Trooping of the Colours, you would need to arrive in London on the Friday before. If you want grandstand tickets for the Parade Grounds, they open up online sometime in March. If you just want to stand along the Mall to watch the parade to/from the Palace, you would need to be there very early in the morning 7-8 am for a front of crowd standing spot.

Stonehenge will be packed for the Solstice. There were 15,000 there that morning in 2024. Here's a BBC report with photos: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7224qlenmeo

You can decide if these crowds would be too much for you. Note the sunrise time: 6:23 am. And you have to factor in the time needed to get there, and if you would need to spend the preceding night in Salisbury in order to get there before sunrise. Of course there's no guarantee that it won't be overcast.

I have been to several Trooping the Colour and have cherished photographs of several royal family members. Tickets for seating in the grandstands of Horse Guards Parade is by ballot and quite difficult to obtain. However, there is plenty of pageantry to see as the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace down the parade route. You would need to get yourselves a standing spot on the Mall (the avenue that runs right in front of Buckingham Palace) around 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. Events begin at approximately 10.20am for each parade, with the fly-past taking place at 1.00pm. Crowds are usually very orderly and toilets are close by (porta-potties). Ideally you would arrive in London the morning of the 13th and have 1/2 day to recover, before attending this event the next day on the 14th. If it it easy to change your flight etc, I would include it. It is just wonderful to see.

As for Stonehenge, I see there are tours that start from London at 1:00 AM in the morning. Yes, it will be very, very crowded. Its up to you, but that looks like a very long day, and if weather is an issue (which it can be any time in the UK) then I am not sure I would want to be out in a field with a mass of people trying to stay dry and comfortable. In my younger years, I may have done this, but not sure my patience or body would tolerate it well these days. If you plan to do this yourselves, then you would need to stay closer to Stonehenge the night before to make this work.

there is a bit of conflicting info in previous answers - I'd like to clarify.

The parade collects the royal family at Buckingham Palace and slowly moves, by horse, by carriage and on foot, down the Mall to Horse Guards Parade where the ceremony takes place. It is the Trooping of the Colour (singular) in front of the Monarch who reviews the troops. The Colour is the Standard (flag) of the regiment and is the rallying point.

After the ceremony - well worth it, and broadcast live - the parade retraces its route back to Buckingham Palace where crowds are released from the Mall to gather in front of the Palace in time for the royal party to appear on the balcony to accept the cheers after the 41 gun salute (Kings Regiment, mostly female, mounted, with cannons in Green Park) and then observe the 1pm flypast.

Sunrise is earlier than mentioned above - we are at the longest day of the year for the solstice - and sunrise in London is at 04:42on the 14th for the Trooping of the Colour, and a little later at Salisbury even on the 21st because it is further west, 04:52 near where the stones and crowds for Stonehenge will be. It will be getting light some time earlier before sunrise.

An excellent summary of the Trooping of the Colour, in quite a lot of detail, not all of which I have proofread, is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TroopingtheColour

For the Summer Solstice you could decide to go depending on the weather. Most people spend the previous night there.

To support that Salisbury Reds run a Solstice Bus #333- departing to Stonehenge regularly from 6.30pm to 1am, and returning between 4am to 10am.
Turn up and pay.
Go to and from London and Salisbury on the train. Or schedule a night in a hotel in Salisbury. If the weather is good then forego the hotel night (or book a taxi up at about 3am or a bit earlier). If the weather is bad just sleep in and spend the day in Salisbury.

While you miss some of the pageantry if it works better for your schedule the two Saturdays before trooping the color are rehearsal Saturdays. I’ve gone to rehearsal twice and really liked it. You don’t get any royals. ( I’ll take that back. You get somebody who’s 33rd line of the throne that you’ve never heard of pretending to play the sovereign ). But you did get to see a lot of the pageantry of the event. I’m glad I’ve done it and I would do it again. If it worked out that I was there at the right time.

We were in London this summer when the Colour was trooped. We didn't attend the ceremony, but it was great fun seeing the toffs walking around the city in their finery. I have never seen so many top hats or tailed coats.

Be aware that Google Maps is unusable in the vicinity of the ceremony. Many areas are roped off and inaccessible to accommodate royal persons, fireworks, etc.

I'm a huge Stonehenge fan...well a huge fan of megaliths and other neolithic sites. There is no way I would get tangled in the crowd on the day of either the Summer or Winter Solstice at Stonehenge. I just can't imagine the thousands packed into the site area. Unless you feel very moved to see this either from a ritual/ceremonial view or if it has some kind of spiritual significance for you, I would go another time.

I do agree with the recommendations to spend the night in Salisbury. The last few times I've gone I stayed at least 2 nights there and got to Stonehenge by taking the local shuttle bus out to the stones. IF you decide to do this, let us know and people can give you links.

Hi Regina -

Your post caught my eye as I'll also in the UK near the same time frame and have some thoughts that may be of interest to you.

I'm all for changing an itinerary that is suited to one's interests, so I say go for it if you are keen on the activity. I am actually changing up my own travel plans to accommodate solstice and in doing so, opened up the opportunity to attend the Ascot races which always intrigued me.

For Solstice at Stonehenge - There are a number of YouTube videos that will show you what it is like, including camping options. After looking at a number of videos, I knew that option was not for me and had to come up with a plan B. Check out the official website because visit times look much different leading for the week up to and after the solstice. I changed my itinerary to get in to the inner circle in early July at the very end of the trip. You may be able to do an inner circle tour in mid-June.

For Royal Sighting / Vibes - The Royal Ascot (near Windsor) runs for 5 days up through June 21st. Depending on the date and section you choose, you could get that royal sighting. I believe the first day would be the best for such an opportunity, maybe the 2nd. If that seems too crowded, have you considered walking around the palace gardens, taking tea at the Gorham, and an inside tour of the Buckingham Palace state rooms? We did this last year and it was very peaceful until we were unexpectedly caught up in the very front of the family traveling into the palace. There was some really neat security maneuvers and being a part of the crowd energy was great. We think Kate's hand waving was the one waving behind tinted windows in the second vehicle.

Going back to your other questions, for travel lag and acclimation, my suggestion is to listen to your instincts but know that everyone is different and if you have a family / group you are traveling with, some may respond and have needs that are different than you own. I'm not one to waste a moment however I make sure the first night on the ground has a good dinner and reasonable bedtime, sleep late on the first full day, and start with a very healthy meal.

Looking forward to seeing what you do!