The International Day for Monuments and Sites, which is annually marked on April 18, will be celebrated at several museums under the administration of the Regional Directorate for Culture. This year, Pico Natural Park, an entity under the supervision of the Regional Directorate for the Environment, will join the celebrations.

This year's celebrations will be extended to the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of UNESCO (which comprises the "World Heritage List"). In this context, ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) has chosen "From Heritage to the World Heritage Site: Protecting and Managing Change" as the main theme for 2012.

The programme containing the events organised by various regional institutions will be available at the Azores Culture portal: http://www.culturacores.azores.gov.pt.
 
The Santa Maria Museum promotes a lecture on the Nossa Senhora da Purificação Church in the context of the island settlement targeted at students from Santo Espírito School and the public in general. This event will take place at Santo Espírito Church from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

The Carlos Machado Museum will organise guided tours to the Sacred Art Centre installed at the Church of the Jesuit College in Ponta Delgada from 9:15 AM to 12:30 PM. This activity is intended to make an approach to the site as an architectural and museum space, with special emphasis on its different uses in the past and present. Despite being addressed at schools, these tours open to the public in general.

In turn, the Angra do Heroísmo Museum has scheduled several tours to the exhibition "Do Mar e da Terra... uma história no Atlântico" (From the Sea and Earth... a story in the Atlantic), drawing a parallel between the current uses of the spaces built in Angra and their previous uses. Students, schools and the public may visit the exhibition in the following timetables: 9:30 AM to 11 AM, 12:30 PM to 2 PM and 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM.

Moreover, the Graciosa Museum, in collaboration with Graciosa Basic Education and Secondary School, has organised some activities targeted at junior high school students, including the exhibition of the film "Baleia à vista" (Whale in sight) from 10 AM to 12 PM as well as a guided tour to the Whaling Boats Shed in Santa Cruz.

On the island of São Jorge, the Francisco Lacerda Museum will join the Atelier de Conservação e Restauro de Obras de Arte S. Jorge, Lda (art restoration and conservation workshop) for the organisation of a lecture held under this year's theme; "From World Heritage to Local Heritage." This activity will take place at the museum premises between 10 AM and 11:30 AM and it is addressed at high school students from Calheta Basic Education and Secondary School.

The Wine Museum will host the presentation of the results of the Photography Marathon at 9 PM. This activity was held under the theme “A Paisagem da Cultura da Vinha da Ilha do Pico, inscrita na lista do Património Mundial, vista pelos jovens” (Pico Vineyard Culture, classified as World Heritage, from youngsters' perspective) and counted on the participation of local students.

The Horta Museum also launched the challenge of a "Drawing Marathon" to students from the 5th to 12th grades as well as to students from Horta Vocational Training School, an activity to be held on April 14.

The meeting point will be at the Clock Tower at 10 AM for the first group and 2 PM for the second group. The works carried out along the route that covers several areas of the museum will be in exhibition at the Manuel de Arriaga House. The voting and delivery of prizes to the best works will take place on April 18 at 5 PM.

The Flores Museum offers to the public a guided tour
to the Whale Factory, built between 1941 and 1944, which produced oil and guano; it remained in operation until 1981. The building is currently undergoing renewal works to become a museum. During this visit, which will take place on April 18 starting at 8 PM, visitors will have the possibility of participating in a tour around the museum, followed by a presentation of the museological programme to be implemented.

In turn, Pico Natural Park will also joint these celebration with the organisation of a photography exhibition titled as "Passado e Presente da Paisagem da Cultura da Vinha do Pico" ("Past and Present of Pico Vineyard Culture) that will be presented at Pico Vineyard Culture Landscape Interpretation Centre on April 18 at 7:30 PM.