What happens when a small French coastal town has one of the most famous lemons in the world thriving on its sunny hillsides?

Yes. True. Lemon products abound. Limoncello, jams and jellies (confitures), lemonade, lemon tarts, lemon vinegars, lemon lollipops, perfume, syrups, soap, and olive oil and honey with lemon infusion.

The word is out. Many of the great chefs of the world have incorporated Menton lemons into their creations, prizing the fruit’s perfect balance of flavor and sweetness and the unique quality of its skin’s essential oil.

Most of all, the town honors its bright yellow gem (also known as “Riviera Gold”) with an annual multi-week citrus celebration that begins in mid-February . . . providing a town blanket of warm, sunny colors (and plenty of Vitamin C) in anticipation of spring.

Welcome to the now famous Menton Fête du Citron (Lemon Festival)—travel inspiration fueled by fruity innovation . . . in fact, 145 tons of fruit.

Lemons and Oranges Everywhere

For 85 years, Menton has been celebrating its love of the lemon during the annual Citrus Festival, each year evolving to add more artistry and more events.

The “Oh, I see” moments can be squeezed from every corner of town. (That’s another bad lemon joke in case you missed it.)

There are exhibits, fruit sculptures, concerts, parties, and parades with floats made of citrus and flowers and tons of confetti.

Each year’s theme is different, but all offer an opportunity for education and discovery.

Often, the theme features a country and its culture. Sometimes, the theme focuses on literary characters, famous people, or fairy tales (such as Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Asterix, Jules Verne, and Mozart) or broader themes, such as music of the world, love, circuses, movies, or great civilizations.

Visitors can learn the history and characteristics of the Menton lemon and, with this year’s theme of Bollywood, can gain the added bonus of learning about Indian culture and the history of Indian cinema.

What’s Different about the Menton Lemon?

The first OIC Moment at the festival is learning how to distinguish the Menton lemon. Its beauty is in its imperfections and in its hidden secrets.

It is not a perfect lemon shape as we know it. It is elliptical, with a little bell bump at the end. It is a brighter yellow than most lemons and sometimes has indentations and brown spots on the skin. It epitomizes the Japanese art of imperfection (wabi-sabi), where flaws are embraced.

Its thick skin harbors the sought after essential oils and its sweetness is unusual. You can smell its sunlit fragrance from a distance. And you can take a bite without an after-pucker. There is no bitter finish.

These lemon trees flourish in the Menton microclimate—the warmest town in France, with more than 300 days of sun a year. The salty sea breezes, sandstone soil, and moderate differences in temperature between day and night are also beneficial to growth.

The mountains to the north protect the trees from wind, especially when the branches are heavy with fruit (branches that produce three times more lemons per branch than regular lemon trees).

The Festival of the Lemons (Fête du Citron)

To thank the lemon gods for such an abundance—and to share the beauty of the fruit with a wide audience—the annual festival turns lemons (and oranges) into high art.

More than 140 tons of citrus fruit are needed. Many of the lemons and oranges come from Spain and North Africa, since the Menton lemons are somewhat limited and are so highly prized for gourmet purposes.

In addition, 750,000 elastic bands and five miles of chicken wire are the basic tools for 20,000 hours of work by the artists and production team responsible for creating the parade floats and the garden sculptures.

The theme is selected almost a year in advance. The designers immerse themselves in their new work and provide research and sketches for the floats and sculptures.

They then add color (yellow and orange are dominant, of course), and work begins on the first floats five months in advance. The fruit is the last component since it needs to be fresh.

It takes about 100 pounds of oranges or 65 pounds of lemons to cover one square meter of a float or sculpture. And ten additional tons of fruit are needed to replace damaged or deteriorating fruit during the festival.

A Citrus Voyage through India

We can travel from the Taj Mahal to an elephant temple and from Bollywood dancers to sitar musicians. We can learn about Hindu gods and everyday India life.

Each imaginative sculpture of lemons and oranges provides a glimpse into the Indian culture.

Bollywood cinema is a world full of color, music, spirituality, and the beauty of nature, interwoven with the day-to-day lives of its heroes. It is a perfect theme for the Fête du Citron, as this festival has all of that . . . and more.

A Legacy of Paradise

Legend has it that Eve (of Adam and Eve fame) brought a “golden fruit” from the Garden of Eden when she and Adam were banished. This theft made Adam nervous and he begged Eve to throw the fruit away.

They wandered far and wide before coming upon Menton and the Bay of Garavan, a place that reminded them so much of paradise that Eve decided to bury the golden fruit there.

Whatever your beliefs, the town of Menton is indeed a paradise . . . and even more of a paradise with the celebrated Menton lemon. It is travel inspiration of the sunniest kind.

The 2018 Fête du Citron runs until March 4, with exhibits, parades, and even a Holi party to celebrate India’s festival of colors. Visit the festival website and the Menton Tourist Office.

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