When is the shortest day of the year?
81
days until the winter solstice, Monday 21 December 2026
That's 11 weeks and 4 days. The solstice is at 8:50pm GMT.
Today is the shortest day
The shortest day of 2026 is Monday 21 December. The winter solstice, the moment the Sun reaches its lowest point in the sky, is at 8:50pm GMT that evening. London gets 7 hours 50 minutes of daylight that day. The longest day of 2027 is Monday 21 June, with the summer solstice at 3:11pm BST.
Solstice and equinox dates for 2026–2028
| Date | Event | UK time |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 20 March 2026 | Spring equinox | 14:46 GMT |
| Sunday 21 June 2026 | Summer solstice | 09:24 BST |
| Wednesday 23 September 2026 | Autumn equinox | 01:05 BST |
| Monday 21 December 2026 | Winter solstice | 20:50 GMT |
| Saturday 20 March 2027 | Spring equinox | 20:25 GMT |
| Monday 21 June 2027 | Summer solstice | 15:11 BST |
| Thursday 23 September 2027 | Autumn equinox | 07:02 BST |
| Wednesday 22 December 2027 | Winter solstice | 02:42 GMT |
| Monday 20 March 2028 | Spring equinox | 02:17 GMT |
| Tuesday 20 June 2028 | Summer solstice | 21:02 BST |
| Friday 22 September 2028 | Autumn equinox | 12:45 BST |
| Thursday 21 December 2028 | Winter solstice | 08:19 GMT |
Times from the US Naval Observatory, rounded to the minute and converted to UK time; the 2026 solstice times match the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
How the date is set
The solstices happen when the Earth's tilted axis points most directly towards or away from the Sun. In the UK the winter solstice falls on 21 or 22 December and the summer solstice on 20, 21 or 22 June. The date moves because the calendar year (365 or 366 days) doesn't match the solar year of about 365¼ days, so each solstice comes almost six hours later each year until a leap day pulls it back. That is why the 2027 winter solstice is in the early hours of 22 December, and the 2028 summer solstice is on 20 June.
Daylight on the solstices
| City | Shortest day, 21 Dec 2026 | Longest day, 21 Jun 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| London | 08:04 to 15:53, 7 h 50 min | 04:43 to 21:21, 16 h 38 min |
| Edinburgh | 08:42 to 15:40, 6 h 58 min | 04:26 to 22:03, 17 h 36 min |
| Belfast | 08:44 to 15:59, 7 h 15 min | 04:47 to 22:04, 17 h 17 min |
Sunrise to sunset in local time (GMT in December, BST in June), calculated for each city centre with standard refraction. Published tables can differ by a minute.
The further north you are, the bigger the swing: Edinburgh has about 50 minutes less daylight than London in December and about an hour more in June.
Why the darkest evenings come before the solstice
The earliest sunset in London is around 12 December, at about 3:51pm, and the latest sunrise is around 30 December, at about 8:06am. The solstice sits between them. The gap comes from the Earth's elliptical orbit and its tilt, which make solar noon drift later through December. So evenings start getting lighter about ten days before the shortest day, while mornings keep getting darker until the new year. The clock change on 25 October 2026 had already moved sunset an hour earlier.
Stonehenge and the solstice
Stonehenge is aligned on the midwinter sunset and the midsummer sunrise. English Heritage usually opens the stones for managed access at sunrise around both solstices; check the English Heritage solstice page for the confirmed 2026 date and conditions before travelling. For the rest of the season, see days until Christmas and important dates.
Frequently asked questions
Is the shortest day always 21 December?
No. In the UK the winter solstice falls on 21 or 22 December. It is 21 December in 2026 and 22 December in 2027, at 2:42am GMT.
When is the longest day in 2027?
The longest day of 2027 is Monday 21 June. The summer solstice is at 3:11pm BST.
How much daylight is there on the shortest day in London?
About 7 hours 50 minutes. On 21 December 2026 the Sun rises in London at about 8:04am and sets at about 3:53pm.
When do the evenings start getting lighter?
In London the earliest sunset is around 12 December. After that, sunset gets slightly later each day, even before the solstice.
What is an equinox?
The moment the Sun crosses the equator, giving day and night of nearly equal length everywhere. The next ones are 20 March 2027 at 8:25pm GMT and 23 September 2027 at 7:02am BST.