Fête du Citron

The Fête du Citron is a carnival event organised by the tourist office of the city of Menton, France, and held every year at the end of winter. It is also sometimes called Carnaval de Menton (Carnival of Menton).

Lemon Festival
Fête du Citron
84th Lemon Festival, 2017
StatusActive
GenreFestivals
Date(s)mid-February
FrequencyAnnual
VenueMenton, France
CountryFrance
Inaugurated1875
Websitefete-du-citron.com

The festival celebrates the annual production of specialty lemons and other citrus fruit in Menton. All the floats and sculptures present at the carnival are created from lemons and oranges.

The celebration takes place every year in mid-February.[1] It has been recognised by the Ministry of Culture of France and entered in the inventory of intangible cultural heritage in 2019.[2]

History

In 1875, hoteliers proposed to the municipality to create a carnival parade to enliven the city in winter. As early as 1876, the event attracted locals and wealthy winter visitors alike. At the time, it was fashionable for the wealthy to come and spend the winter months in the mild climate of the French Riviera. Kings, princes, and artists flocked to palaces in the city or had villas built there. The 1882 edition of the carnival was notably attended by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and it culminated with a fireworks display over Garavan Bay. The Carnival of Menton bears some similarities to its cousin from neighbouring Nice: a parade of large heads, confetti streams, flower battles, Mardi Gras celebration, and finally, the burning in effigy of the "Majesty of the Carnival". The feasts which surround the celebration mark the period before Lent.

The Lemon Festival
Dragon float at the 86th Fête du Citron, 2019
Train float at the 80th Fête du Citron, 2013
Whale float at the 81st Fête du Citron, 2014

In 1928, Menton was the main producer of lemons on the European continent. A hotelier had the idea of organizing a private exhibition of flowers and citrus fruits in the gardens of the Riviera Hotel. The event's success was such that the following year, the municipality took up the idea on its own. The name "Fête du Citron" was born in 1934. The Lemon Festival combines traditional carnival events with a celebration of Menton's reputation as Europe's lemon capital. Today, Menton is not known for the quantity of lemons 4K it produces but rather their quality, as they are of a specialty kind sought after by chefs from across the region.[3] The celebration features elaborate themed floats whose structures are covered in citrus fruit, primarily lemons and oranges, a large portion of which is imported from Spain every year.[4] At the end of the event, the fruits are sold at low prices.[5] Each year, a different theme is chosen for the festival.

The Fête du Citron is the second largest public winter event on the French Riviera after the Nice Carnival.

The celebration did not take place during the war years between 1940 and 1946, nor in 1991, due to the war in Iraq.

Previous themes
202087thWorld festivals15 Feb. to 3 Mar.
201986thFantastic worlds16 Feb. to 3 Mar.
201885thBollywood17 Feb. to 4 Mar.
201784thBroadway11 Feb. to 1 Mar.
201683rdCinecittà[6]13 Feb. to 2 Mar.
201582ndThe tribulations of a lemon in China14 Feb. to 4 Mar.
201481st20,000 Leagues Under the Sea15 Feb. to 5 Mar.
201380thAround the World in 80 Days16 Feb. to 6 Mar.
201279thRegions of France17 Feb. to 7 Mar.
201178thThe Great civilizations[7]18 Feb. to 9 Mar.
201077thMenton creates cinema12 Feb. to 3 Mar.
200976thMusic of the world13 Feb. to 4 Mar.
200875thIslands of the world16 Feb. to 5 Mar.
200774thMenton invites carnivals of the world - guest of honour: India17 Feb. to 7 Mar.
200673rdMenton invites carnivals of the world - guest of honour: Brazil
200572ndLong live Spain
200471stWalt Disney Studio Park
200370thAlice in Wonderland
200269thPinocchio31 Jan. to 17 Feb.
200168thTales of Mother Goose8 to 27 Feb.
200067thLa Fontaine's Fables11 to 27 Feb.
199966thLucky Luke in Menton
199865thTintin in the land of lemons
199764thMenton-Monaco "A story of princes"
199663rdAsterix in the land of lemons
199562ndDisneyland in the land of lemons
199461stMarine fairies
199360thCelebrating Europe
199259thThe gallant holidays
199158thThe year of Mozart
199057thMyths and legends of the Mediterranean
198956thIf I knew the history of France
198855thWonders of the world
198754thLove and passion
198653rdStories and legends
198552ndCinema
198451stLemons without borders
198350thThe lemon-gold wedding
198249thJules Verne
198148thProvence
198047thNo more waste
197946thCircus
197845thA walk through the history of Menton
197744thLemon in all sauces
197643rdLemon makes the fair
197542ndThe Golden Fruit Congress has fun
197441stLemon and Chinese
197340thTrip to the Moon
197239thWhat a program
197138thThe lemon and the sea
197037thMusic
196936thThe lemon king of the journey
196835thThe lucky charm
196734thSigns of the zodiac
196633rdThe 4 seasons
196532ndOrange and gold waterfalls
196431stThe yé-yé orchestras
196330thThe lemon through the ages
196229thLove
196128thOrange and gold symphony
196027thThe small world of our countryside
195926thFlowers

References
  1. "Fête du citron à Menton" [Lemon Festival in Menton]. routard.com (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  2. "La fête du Citron de Menton" [Lemon Festival in Menton] (PDF). culture.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  3. "The Citrus Elixir of Menton". euronews.com. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  4. "À la découverte de la fête du citron de Menton" [Discovering the lemon festival of Menton]. francetvinfo.fr (in French). 23 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  5. "La Côte d'Azur en fête" [Celebrating the Côte d'Azur]. francetvinfo.fr (in French). 15 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  6. "La 83e Fête du citron de Menton rend hommage à Cinecittà" [The 83rd Lemon Festival in Menton pays tribute to Cinecittà]. rtbf.be (in French). 11 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  7. "On se presse à Menton" [We hurry to Menton]. madame.lefigaro.fr (in French). 18 February 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
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