The annual Fête du Citron is an incredible celebration of citrus on the Côte~d’azur. Two~tons of fresh fruit brighten up the languishing days of winter in the beautiful town of Menton at the peak of lemon season.
Giant sculptures made of citrus dominate the Bioves Gardens, the main passageway from the train station to the Med. There is a different theme every year, in 2023 Rock and Opera took center stage.
The level of detail on these massive designs is just incredible. They use 750,000 rubberbands to attach the fruit and it takes about 20,000 hours of labor.
Every angle of these whimsical figures are astonishing in their complexity.
There’s also a daytime and evening parade, an orchid show and shopping opportunities for all things citrus: soaps, perfume, candles, liqueurs, clothing, cakes, beverages and the famed Menton lemons.
It’s often called the Carnaval de Menton because it happens in the period before Lent, and it has that festive feeling of the Nice Carnaval and Mardi Gras, they even conclude it with the burning effigy of the Majesty of the Carnival.
The festival was born in 1934 when Europes “lemon capital” wanted to entice visitors to the south of France in the winters. Menton was the main producer of lemons in those days so the chosen materials was obvious.
Menton is best known for their sought after Menton lemon, it has a mild flavor, thick, rough rind and pale fruit on the interior. The trees grow about 11 fruits per branch which are all hand picked and never waxed.
On the southern slopes of the mountains above Menton dry stone retaining walls or “Restanques” create an ideal growing zone. The walls allow the water to drain down hill, the stones absorb the heat of the sun all day and release it at night, keeping the lemon trees from freezing.
They have achieved the prestigious IGP, Indication Géographique Protgée or PGI Protected Geographic Indication, the only French lemon to achieve this status. Visit Au Pays du Citron to see the variety of products featuring this celebrated fruit.
The theme and dates for 2025 have not been announced yet.
Late winter is actually a great time to visit the South of France, the weather is mild to warm.
In addition to this event, you could go to the Combat Naval Fleuri, a festival of floral decorated boats in the Porte de la Santé in Villefranche~sur~Mer.
and the Carnival de Nice, which is where the idea for Mardi Gras in New Orleans originated.
There is a french phrase meaning “all parts of the lemon are good”…
“Tout est bon dans le citron”
