Newgrange Winter Solstice
Newgrange is one of 40 passage tombs in Brú na Bóinne (meaning the bend of the Boyne River) in County Meath. During sunrise on the Winter Solstice mornings (18 – 22 December each year) a beam of sun light penetrates the roof-box and travels up to 19-metres (62 ft) along the passage, and illuminates the chamber. As the sun rises higher, the beam widens, dramatically lighting up the entire chamber. After 17 minutes, the beam of sunlight fades back down the passage as the alignment reaches its conclusion.
Solstice Lottery 2026
Access to the chamber on Solstice mornings is determined by a public lottery each year. The annual lottery draw took place on October 15th, 2026 at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre.
This year 38 lucky winners, accompanied by a guest, will have the unforgettable opportunity to access the Newgrange Chamber at Brú na Bóinne, a UNESCO World Heritage Property, during the winter solstice period.
Children from three local primary schools, Donore National School, Scoil Naomh Pio, Knockcommon and St. Patrick’s National School, Slane took on the important task of selecting this year’s lucky winners.
A total of 34,263 online entries were received from people across Ireland and around the world. The high number of entries highlight the international appeal of Newgrange and the Winter Solstice with winners drawn from the Canada, Germany, India, Poland, North Macedonia, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the USA. Winners were also drawn from Ireland including Armagh, Dublin, Kerry, Kildare, Limerick and Meath. The winners, along with a guest, will be granted access to the Chamber at Newgrange at dawn during the Winter Solstice period in December 2026, offering a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Solstice Livestream
The Winter Solstice will take place on Monday, 21 December 2026 across OPW platforms. The livestream will allow audiences in Ireland and across the world to share in this remarkable event from the comfort of their own homes. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Recordings of the livestreaming events in 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025 are available on the OPW’s YouTube channel.
Travelling to Newgrange for Solstice?
We will shortly be announcing travel and traffic details.
Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre: Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth
Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre is the starting point for all visits to Newgrange and Knowth.
The Visitor Centre exhibition is a fully interactive visitor experience exploring the Neolithic culture, landscape and monuments of Brú na Bóinne.
Brú na Bóinne is famous for the spectacular prehistoric passage tombs of Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth which were built circa 3200BC. These ceremonial structures are among the most important Neolithic sites in the world and contain the largest collection of megalithic art in Western Europe.
Access to Newgrange Monument is only available to visitors via the centre. Access to the chamber on Solstice mornings is determined by a public lottery each year.
