Fete du Citron

La Fête du Citron or the Lemon Festival is a  unique event  attracting more than 200,000 visitors every year.
The event has taken on a new life in the last few years, by centring on heroes from the world of cartoons or comic-books such as

• Asterix 1997
• Tintin 1998
• Lucky Luke 1999
• French literature with the Fontaine Fables 2000
• The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault 2001
• Pinocchio 2002
• Alice in Wonderland 2003
• Cinema with Walt Disney 2004
• Spain 2005
• Brazil as guest of honour for 2006
• India for 2007
• World’s Islands for 2008
• Musics of the World for 2009

and once again Menton returns to the theme of the Cinema for 2010

Photos of the Fete du Citron

No equivalent in the world

The Lemon Festival has no equivalent in the world and it’s originality lies in the use of citrus fruit for adorning the floats and monumental structures. In the Biovès gardens, the giant decorations made with lemons and oranges tell a new story each year in 11 scenes.

International coverage

Menton, known as “La Cité des Citrons” or The City of Lemons, is famous throughout the world for its festival.Every year, it attracts a cosmopolitan audience and becomes the focus of intensive media coverage worldwide.

Programme

77th Lemon Festival (Fête du Citron®) Menton celebrates The Cinema
from February 12 to march 03, 2010
The Festival’s Highlights
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The Golden Citrus Parade:

Sundays, February 14, 21 & 28, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Ten citrus fruit-decorated floats – which will be seated charming young ladies will parade along Promenade du Soleil along the sea front.

Between the floats, bands, folkloric groups, drum majorettes and marching bands Will together create a fantastic atmosphere fun and jollity.

Night Processions

February 18 and 25.2009 at 8:30 pm will also be held, illuminating the city in festive lights, the climax will be the grand display of fireworks on the bay!

The Biovès Gardens under the light!

On Friday February, 12, 19 & 26. 2010 and on thuesday February, 16 & 23 2010 from 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm.
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The exhibitions and attractions

The Biovès Gardens

The gardens will host the traditional citrus decorations.Somewhat like the twelve labours of Hercules, the fairy stories have inspired the city’s artists to create monumental structures.

The Orchid exhibition and the Arts and Crafts show.

This Arts and Crafts Show is an opportunity to show visitors the crafts inspired by citrus from the Menton region: a delight to the taste buds – jam, jelly, honey, liqueur, etc. – and the scented soap and perfume (L’Eau de Menton). There will also be crafts from the Menton region: wood carving, glass engraving, ceramics, miniature painting, flower-petal picture frames…

The Attractions

Every day, a brass band will sound through the streets of the city. Theatrical evenings are also scheduled at the Palais de l’Europe.

Menton participates
The Lemon Festival has a winning team, with more than 300 people involved: citrus-fruit growers, gardeners, artists, metal workers… The monumental metal structures which the lemons and oranges are placed by the City of Menton Department of Parks and Gardens are made by a local firm. 500,000 elastic bands and 145 metric tons of citrus are required for this titanic task!

Discovering the citrus
The Lemon Festival provides visitors with an opportunity for discovering the fascinating world of citrus. The Palais Carnolès garden has the largest citrus collection in Europe: grapefruit, lemon, kumquat, tangerine, clementine, Seville orange… The rarest varieties have been introduced, from the Chinese mandarin orange to the lemon of Sochi (citrus medica). During the Lemon Festival some guided tours will be organised by the Tourist Office of Menton