From the Magazine: Watch Day: For Communities, By Communities
Over the past two years, 17 Watch Days were held at 15 different 2018 World Monuments Watch sites, spanning five continents and welcoming close to 4,000 community members.
From scholarly conferences to children’s events to festivals filled with art and music, these Watch Days demonstrated the power of community engagement to shape a brighter future for heritage sites around the world.
Cerro de Oro, PeruWatch Day welcomed more than 300 visitors from the surrounding communities of the Cañete Valley and featured guided tours of the archaeological site. Educational booklets and a scavenger hunt at the event were designed to get school-aged children excited to learn about Cerro de Oro. |
 Students looking at Watch Day exhibition panels, July 2018
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Sukur Cultural Landscape, NigeriaA two-day Watch Day organized by community leaders was held as part of an annual Harvest Celebration in Sukur. Hundreds of participants took part in guided tours, demonstrations of maintenance activities, an art contest, traditional dances and performances, workshops for basket weaving and dry season farming techniques, and a film screening on the heritage of the cultural landscape. |
 A basket weaving workshop at Sukur Watch Day, organized as part of the annual Yawal Festival, 2018
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Potager du Roi, FrancePotager du Roi held Watch Day on two separate occasions, giving visitors the chance to experience and learn about the garden’s history of horticultural instruction and innovation. Attendees took part in expert guided tours, a farmer’s market with fresh produce, musical performances, and a special exhibit on the landscape. |
 Attendees enjoying Watch Day at the Potager du Roi, 2019
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Souk of Aleppo, SyriaA heartwarming Watch Day was held to celebrate the Souk of Aleppo, some 300 miles away in Mafraq, Jordan. The family-focused, day-long event was a celebration of Syria’s cultural heritage, hosted by the Syrian refugees and Jordanians taking part in WMF’s stonemasonry training program. |
 Watch Day celebrating the Souk of Aleppo, held in Mafraq, Jordan hosted by the Syrian refugees and Jordanians taking part in WMF’s stonemasonry training program
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