Fete du Citron or Lemon Festival, Menton

Fete du Citron or Lemon Festival, Menton

Fête du Citron or Lemon Festival is an annual festival held in Menton, a town in the south east of France, that celebrates the humble lemon and orange fruits and with the festival being held for more than 87 years, the Fête du Citron is a festival with a long history.

The festival began in 1933 as a fruit show and has grown into an international event drawing 160,000 visitors annually. The lemons and oranges grown in Menton are called the fruits d’or (golden fruits). These special fruits d’or are celebrated every year during the Fête du Citron, from 16 February to 3 March. 

Why celebrate citrus fruits?

Lemons are sour and metaphorical for unfortunate life events so why celebrate this fruit? This festival will reshape the way you think about lemons. A series of gardens are transformed into a fantasy world of yellow and orange glowing under the mediteranian sun. 

The long and narrow Biovès Gardens are walled off for the event and feature a breathtaking display of large wire-framed structures and sculptures built from thousands of citrus fruit (lemons, grapefruit and oranges). 

Some Lemon Festival facts are:

• there are 10 floats and 13 decorated displays
• 240,000 spectators (on average) attend the Festival
• 12 people are in charge of changing the deteriorated fruit each day
• 140 tonnes of citrus fruits are used in the garden and float displays
• up to 18 tonnes of fruit is used for the most magnificent designs
• 5 tonnes of addition fruit is used to replace damaged fruit
• 750,000 elastic bands are used for attaching the fruit

But that is not all - on Sunday afternoon a parade makes its way down the Promenade du soleil (along the Mediterranean waterfront). Onlookers feast their eyes on floats, dancers, confetti, music, and fruit. 

Menton lemons

In the far south-eastern corner of France, next to the Italian border, lies Menton. It is half an hour’s drive from Nice, and located on the French Riviera. The lemons grown in Menton have a mild taste, intense aroma, and moderate acidity. Sixty tonnes of lemons are produced annually in the Menton region by only 12 citrus fruit growers.

One citrus grower invites you into a public garden brimming with citrus trees. This jardin remarquable (remarkable garden) is called La Citronneraie. It boasts over 800 plant varieties: cycad, ginko, kiwi, avocado, banana, salvia, solanum, palms and arecastrum, camphor, eucalyptus, cedar, yucca, dragon tree, mango, maple, orchid, ginger, and a number of varieties of bamboo and mimosa. 

2018's Fête du Citron theme was Bollywood and featured striking Indian recreations in bright yellow and orange hues. The gardens of Menton transformed into a series of exotic Hindu temples and statues created from lemons, while the parade moved to Bollywood music. Dancers surrounded the floats with swirling costumes and the streets were filled with riotous colour.

The theme for 2019 was Des Mondes Fantastiques (fantastic worlds) and the floats were again creative and impressive. Rock & Opera was the theme for 2023 and floats and sculptures stunned the huge crowds.

Major Festivals of the French Riviera 

Would you believe that the Fête du Citron is the second largest event on the French Riviera! With more than 200,000 visitors the Menton region is flooded with healthy tourism.

The biggest event on the French Riviera is the Mardi Gras Carnival de Nice, reputed as the ‘must see’ Mardi Gras festival in all of France and with food, parades and entertainment it is an event to add to your travel itinerary. 

The third largest event on the French Riviera is the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monte Carlo. So the Fete Du Citron finds itself ranked higher than the Formula 1 Grand Prix. That's a lot of lemon and orange love! Our post Winter Festivals on the French Riviera is an exclusive post for members and features what's on in winter on the Riviera. 

Lemons and the Fête du Citron

Lemons aren’t such a bad thing after all. What place do lemons have in your life? Cooking, Cleaning, Craft or Drink garnishing?  Try your hand at cooking this delicious Tarte au Citron (lemon tart) - a French favourite. With so many uses it's no wonder the French love to celebrate the humble lemon and orange citrus fruits during the Fête du Citron in Menton!

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