Fête du citron

Lemon Festival®

An eventfull of color and flavor

Since 1934, during the second half of February, Menton has hosted an internationally renowned event: the Fête du Citron®. Also known as the Carnaval de Menton, the event brings together 200,000 people every year to celebrate an annually renewed theme. Menton’s corsos, or citrus float parades, rival the world’s finest carnivals. A colorful, flavorful event!

Fête du citron® (Lemon Festival)

The origins of carnival

At a time when winter visitors came to forget winter in the mild climate of the Côte d’Azur, some hoteliers in Mentonnais suggested that the municipality organize a parade to liven up the town and entertain their wealthy clientele. The year was 1875, and the first parade was an instant hit with Mentonnais, artists and palace-goers looking for fun in the cooler months.

Lemon Festival® A lemon-colored carnival

In the 19th century, Menton was Europe’s lemon capital: the quality of its golden fruit was such that the town was already known as the “Lemon Rock”. It wasn’t until 1929 that the lemon joined the carnival. That year, a hotelier organized an exhibition of citrus fruits and flowers in the gardens of the Hotel Riviera. Such was the success of the event that the following year it took to the streets, where citrus-filled carts were paraded by charming Mentonnaises. In the end, the carnival’s local color was self-evident. In 1934, the municipality gave it the name Fête du Citron® that it still enjoys today.

An event that shines internationally

In 1936, the six-day festival took over the Biovès gardens for the first citrus and flower show. François Ferrié was commissioned to design the floats in lemons and oranges, and the motifs in the gardens, which were essentially flat. After the war, which marked a pause in the organization, the motifs grew in height and volume. In 1955, the parade became a corso and adopted an annual theme. The 70s marked the beginning of the event’s internationalization. 1984 saw the first edition of the Salon des Orchidées, which still accompanies the Fête du Citron® today.

Lemon Festival highlights

Since 1936, the Boviès gardens have hosted a daily exhibition of citrus motifs for the duration of the festival. Year after year, the exhibition has become more creative and more surprising. As night falls, the citrus decorations take on a new mood of mystery and reverie: the gardens become Jardins de Lumières.

On the Promenade du Soleil, the Golden Fruit Corsos keep Sundays alive with the rhythm of brass bands and folkloric groups as they wind their way between the parade’s citrus floats.

Thursday night corsos wake up the town as soon as night falls. The parade of floats stretches out in a festive atmosphere to the rhythms and sounds of world music and dance. And the evening ends with a magnificent fireworks display.

​

Photos Raoul Rand