The Fête du Citron, also referred to as the Lemon Festival, is an annual Carnival event put on by the city of Menton.
It's held every year in the month of February and is the second largest winter festival in the Riviera. This is of course after the Nice Carnival.
The parade draws in approximately 200 thousand people each year and takes place at night on a street down by the water. Keep in mind that ike the festival in Nice, this is a paid event that requires a ticket for admission.
During the day though people can view the floats for free in the Jardin Biovès. Its located along Avenue de Verdun right in front of the tourism office building. The floats are unique in that they are made out of lemons and other citrus fruits.
The location is quite fitting too because its perimeter is almost completely surrounded by orange trees.
It makes you almost want to reach up and pick one, though I very much doubt that it's allowed.
The floates are large and colorful and are really quite impressive considering they are completely covered on the outside by oranges and lemons.
I thought it was a little wasteful when I thought about it but apparently the citrus is sold afterwards for a low price. Nobody likes food waste.
Each year has a new theme for the parade and floats and this year's was Operas and Dances.
Big dresses and musical instruments were sort of the name of the game this year, though I don't really know how a sphinx fits into this particular theme (recall photo at the beginning).
I know that I just wrote about Menton in my last travel post but I really think that the event should be kept separate from a post about the city itself.
Plus I always have a lot to say about a place and I'm sure that no one wants to read more than 1000 words of someone else's vacation.
Brief History of the Event
Spain is currently the largest producer of lemons and citrus fruit in the continent of Europe, but in the 1920's that title actually belonged to the city Menton.
In 1934, to showcase its citrus to the world, the city hosted a private event in the gardens of Riviera Hotel called the Fête du Citron. There they displayed elaborate exhibitions of flowers and citrus plants and fruit.
The event ended up being a huge success so the city decided to put on the event each year as a way of bringing in tourists during the colder months of winter.
Today Menton and the surrounding area produces around 150 - 200 tons of lemons, which is actually quite low compared to other parts of Europe.
But what it lacks in quantity it certainly makes up for in quality as it produces a particular kind of lemon that are sought after by chefs of exclusive restaurants across the region. Menton is also a large jam and marmalade producer, as well as a maker of the sweet and tangy liqueur, limoncello.
We of course bought a small bottle of Mentons limoncello from a vendor at the festival. They also had mandarin flavor and orange and the woman gave us samples of each to try. We bought both lemon and mandarin flavors.
We took shots of it down by the water and I thought it was quite good.
I hate to say it, but we actually preferred the mandarin flavor. Admittedly, it feels slightly wrong to not prefer the lemon.
After touring the lemon floats we walked along the water to the spot where we sampled the limoncello. Then we wandered around the old town before heading back to the train to go to our next location. Though we didnt see the more elaborate celebration of the night parade, I generally thought that the lemon festival was a fun activity for part of the day. It was sort of a bonus to the town itself. Just one more reason to visit a great destination along the French Riviera.
Those floats are crazy good! I have never seen so much citrus.
I love limoncello, I have made my own. I can imagine the orange one being good too but get what you mean about it feeling wrong to not like the orange one better!
Yeah it's definitely a lot of citrus in one spot and certainly a creative use.
Your own limoncello!? Interesting. How so? Is it just vodka with tons of lemon zest and juice or something more elaborate?
It's as simple as that really, lots of lemon zest, sugar syrup and decent vodka. When I was travelling Europe some moons ago I spent some time in Amalfi and a guy who produced it and owned a little shop was regaling me with tales of how easy it was. So I thought I would try it and it is ridiculous how authentic and good it is. Which reminds me, Ishould make it again!
I once drank limoncello and oddly enough...I did not like it lol. I feel like I insult the Gods of Lemon by saying this hahaha
My goodness?! You didnt??
I know what it is. You obviously didn't drink enough. Dont worry, the Gods of Lemon wont smite you just yet... :OD
Lol yup. I do like Baileys Irish Cream though and anything with coffee flavour😅. Maybe the homemade version could convince me. Usually homemade beverages are much better than what you can get in a store. In Romania a lot of people living in the countryside make their own moonshine lol, they like heavy duty alcohol😅
I don't mind a baileys myself! In fact, I sometimes drink them when I have been overdoing it a tad on a night where there are many other shots involved. I don't think I could cope with the kind of moonshine they brew out in the country
Smited!!!
🧙♂️⚡️⚡️⚡️
That sounds easy enough. I'll have to try that one day. Thanks 😊
It is indeed very easy. I did a post on it once. https://hive.blog/food/@meesterboom/home-made-italian-limoncello-part-2
I am defo doing it again in summer along with some other kind of drink, sloe berry gin perhaps
Wow 5 years ago. You've even here since the begining haha.
That seems easy enough. I'll definitely try that this summer. You're right that limoncello is definitely a summer drink.
I wasnt far off the start! It was a crazy lawless place back then. Thankfully it is much better now!
I admire the tedious work behind putting those oranges and lemons together....impressive! Food waste is something I highly dislike, I was happy to read about the no waste policy. Selling any type of food on a discount is better than just throwing it to the garbage.
Yes I agree on all fronts - the work needed to create the floats, food waste and selling them instead of throwing them away. The site I read that didn't specify who they sold them to but my guess is that it's not the public. Probably a vendor that highly processes their lemons in general, like for soaps, extracts, smells, natural cleaners and that sort of thing. That's just a guess but I doubt they would be eaten.
I was just about to say it until I saw the yellow bottle that Fête du Citron won't be complete without shots of limoncello. Would love to try the mandarin flavor. I had no idea there was such a festival with a massive display of citrus fruits. Glad to hear they sell them afterward.
My first experience with limoncello was a trip to Tuscany. The driver made a homemade one and passed shots around in the bus. Meandering Tuscan roads lined with Cypress trees while taking limoncello shots. I thought I had died and gone to heaven lol.
Yeah I think limoncello is more well known as an Italian drink. I didn't know that it was also produced in France, but then, Menton is right on the Italian/France border so it makes sense.
That sounds amazing! Quite the trip I bet
ohh carnival in france, i think the figure in the very first picture looks really great... haha yes you really want to stretch out your arms and pick a lemon;) i was just wondering how many lemons are on the figure?:) that's a different kind of art
Hmmm 🤔
Actually I have no idea how many lemons are on any of the floats. A lot! Haha 😁
That would have been a great contest question if I knew the answer to it lol.
Haha yeah it would take some time to eat them all;) that's right!
This festival looks great, those floats are beautiful. I was also worried about what they would do with all those citrus fruits at the end of the parade. It's good that they sell them cheap and nothing is wasted.
And lemoncello, I particularly like and I haven't tried tangerine, but it sounds very good ❤️.
Yes it would be quite the waste otherwise. I was happy to learn that they weren't just thrown away. Though, I supposed if that was the case it might still be better than the floats being made of plastic. At least lemons are biodegradable. Still, it's good that they are sold. Win win!
So many lemons with one figure, that's a great idea! 200,000 people, that's a lot. Interesting that the floats are made from citrus fruits. The fact that you made another post about Menton is good, so you can get a deeper insight into the festival than in a post. Thank you for sharing!
Yeah it's a lot of lemons for sure. It's the first time I've ever seen a float made from them lol.
I thought Limoncello is produced in Italy, no?
It is yes, but apparently the city of Menton makes it as well.
Thanks! I appreciate the support 😁
The lemon festival ! Amazing feat !! Quality over Quantity this time around . Bliss!
Yes indeed!
😁
Such a magnificent art working ...
Yeah it pretty neat!
MUITO LINDO, FESTIVAL CHEIO DE VIDA E BELAS FOTOS PARABENS.
Thanks!
Amazing shots!! Love it 💯💯
I'm glad you like them 😁
Wow.. The floats are so pretty and colorful
I agree! 😁
This looks incredible. Thanks for sharing.
!PIZZA
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What camera do you use?
It's just my phone camera, a samsung
Thanks🙏
😩 and I had the option to choose between a Samsung and an iPhone and went for the iPhone.
Any special camera settings?
Not really. I use different lenses (built in lenses in the phone I mean) and I edit the photos on the Google photos app which helps. Not sure if you can use a Google app on an iPhone or not but you could give that a try
This Lemon Festival is amazing, lots of figurines.
Yeah there was quite a lot to see.