11 Things to do at The Lemon Festival, France

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France is one of the countries in Europe with the most important carnival traditions in the whole continent and the world. In fact, France boasts one of the most popular and recognized carnivals: The Nice Carnival. However, we are not here to talk about Nice, but about Menton. The Carnival of Menton,Lemon Festival or Lemon Festival is one of the best preserved jewels of France..

The Lemon Festival is a charming celebration that takes as its main theme the lemon. Menton lemons are unique products in the region and are highly coveted by renowned chefs in the region and the continent. The Lemon Carnival in Menton is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so don’t miss the opportunity to visit the city as soon as you have some time on your next vacation.

 

We accompany you to discover 11 things to do at the Lemon Festival.

 

What is the Lemon Festival in Menton?

The Lemon Festival or Lemon Festival is an incredibly colorful spectacle unique in all of France. This event commemorates one of the most popular and unique local products: the Lemon. Every year, the city creates imposing sculptures with at least 145 tons of lemons and oranges. In addition, it also holds incredible colorful parades with themed floats, which are also decorated with these incredible citrus fruits. Although it may be somewhat strange to commemorate a lemon, this product has for many years been one of the town’s little pride. For centuries, the town exported its lemons to various locations around the world and achieved incredible numbers in its production.

If you don’t want to complicate things, here you can book interesting excursions in Spanish in this city:.

 

Although the local production of lemons goes back even as far as the 18th and 19th century, the Carnival had not been present in the streets until the end of the 19th century. In 1875, a group of hoteliers were thinking about how they could provide entertainment in the city during the winter season to get more visitors. Thus, they decided to integrate the carnival theme with the most important local production and held the first events that would give way to the festival a century later. The celebration was not properly recognized as the Fête su Citron until 1935.

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But why commemorate the lemon? The lemon produced locally is special because it is grown by hand and is not coated with any kind of wax for protection. In addition, this type of lemon enjoys more attractive properties than the ordinary lemon, as it is much juicier, larger and sweeter. The Menton lemon is one of the most special local products and is used by several professional chefs to make magnificent and delicious dishes and drinks.

 

Due to its hard work with the preservation of the cultural aspects and traditions of the town the Fête du Citron or Lemon Festival has been recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage in France. In addition, each year, the city receives about 200,000 people to see these incredible structures, both in the street as static exhibitions and in the wonderful parades..

Menton has several attractions ranging from daytime activities to nighttime. Each of the attractions in the city enjoys a unique feature that is worth seeing. In addition, the city offers other types of entertainment to complement the whole experience you will have with the structures decorated with oranges and lemons.

We accompany you to know everything you can do during this incredible and colorful festival that takes place in the town of Menton in the southwest of the country.

 

11. Attend the Daytime Entertainment

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As previously mentioned, the Lemon Festival offers a good amount of entertainment during the festivities. However, taking into consideration the lemon and orange structures, there is a noticeable difference in what can be performed during the day and during the night. Although daytime entertainment and nighttime entertainment have the same elements, each of them has different characteristics that make them unique. Thus, we offer you the attractions that you can see during the day:

 

Citrus Exhibition

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Exhibition of Citrus Patterns or Exhibition of Citrus Patterns is one of the attractions included in the festival. It is a wonderful exhibition or exhibition of large structures made with lemons and oranges. Each year these structures change, as a unique theme is applied every year. In this way, the structures take on different designs each year. The structures are not completely made of citrus fruits but are only used to coat the outside of the structures. Each citrus fruit is tied to the main structure with rubber bands.

These structures can take on extremely particular shapes, ranging from historical figures of great significance or simply works that have arisen through imagination. In previous years, the structures have taken the shape of Buddha, dancers or even animals such as whales, lions, monkeys or mice. In addition, large buildings such as palaces, arches, sphinxes or even ships are also realized. The organizers try to apply the contrast of both colors, yellow and orange, to create certain illusions, generate shadows or simply make specific patterns using both colors. Likewise, some plants or other materials are also used to generate lines or edges in the structures.

 

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Golden Fruit Parades

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The Golden Fruit Parades are one of the most awaited and visited attractions at the Menton Lemon Festival. Every year, thousands of people come to the city to see this incredible colorful spectacle. Like the citrus displays, the parades also feature large structures decorated with oranges and lemons. However, these can clearly be transported so that they can be displayed on the city streets.

The citrus floats that travel along the city’s seafront promenade enjoy incredible size. In addition, like the static displays that line the streets of the city, the floats feature different themes. Each of the citrus fruits, both oranges and lemons, are attached to the initial structure of the float with rubber bands. In this way, the citrus fruits generate impressive figures.

 

The carriages are extremely creative and feature an incredible level of detail. In the parade you can see dozens and dozens of different floats, all featuring different figures. Fantastical characters, historical and religious figures, fantasy creatures, figures from Greek mythology, animals and buildings are the most common designs in the float parade. However, not everything revolves around floats, as the parade also features spectacular dancers and acrobats throughout the presentation. The music surrounds the entire show, making the entire parade one of the best attractions of the entire festival. The event features both trucks with music, bands, percussions and singers. In addition, during the entire presentation, they throw tons of confeti to the public.

 

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10. Enjoying the Nightly Entertainment

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The various attractions that take place during the night are extremely similar to those that occur during daytime hours. However, both have unique elements that enhance the appeal of the exhibits. During the night, the entire city becomes a great spectacle of lights and bright colors that highlight the patterns of the figures. In addition, it is the perfect time for mysterious and luminous creatures to make an appearance in the streets of the city of Menton.

 

Gardens of Lights

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The Gardens of Lights or Jardins de lumières is the same exhibition as theCitrus Exhibition. However, it is held during the night. If you were thinking that seeing the same exhibits during the night is not funny at all, the truth is that these structures change completely during the night. During the night, the use of lights and projections are applied. In addition, some structures have large screens where short videos or small animations are reproduced to accompany the theme of the figure.

During the evening, the structures are accompanied by themed performances, these may feature jugglers or dancers. In addition, musical shows are also performed to liven up the entire presentation. Disregarding the theme of the composition of oranges and lemons, the shows may feature large Chinese dancing dragons or a sword show..

 

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Night Parades

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Like the gardens of lights, the night parades feature an impressive amount of little lights that illuminate the entire firmament. The night parades are quite similar to the daytime parades, although these have a much more mystical and joyful atmosphere. The entire promenade is illuminated with lights and projectors everywhere. Both floats and participants on foot cross the Promenade du Soleil, carrying on their clothes and structures lots of lights.

 

 

In addition to the impressive colorful and brilliant floats, several dance troupes take the dance floor to impress the whole audience. Depending on the theme of the year and the floats, the dancers and presenters may change their choreography. Some of the past presentations have featured Indian elements, dancers with large golden and colorful ornaments and various acrobats on the floats. The samba dancers can never miss in this type of presentations, moving gracefully to conquer the attention of the spectators. To close with a flourish, the night parades end with an impressive fireworks display.

 

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9. Attend the Fireworks Show

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After the parades, a great fireworks show takes place. The whole event can last more than 10 minutes and are usually held in Garavan Bay, the bay of one of the communes of Menton

8. Participate in the Craft and Art Workshops

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Besides the incredible spectacles of thousands of colors, lights and citrus, the city also offers some workshops of crafts and various arts. The workshops are for everyone and there is a wide variety to choose from to choose what interests you the most. These types of workshops or events are mainly held at the Palais de l’Europe and have a good amount of instructors who will make sure you learn a lot of techniques and styles. Generally, the workshops you can get are sculpture, ceramics, sculptures of wood, glass engraving and many other varied activities.

Workshops are held on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 6 pm, while Thursday and Friday workshops are from 10 am to 7 pm. Sunday activities are from 9 am to 7 pm. All events are free of charge.

 

7. Visiting Orchid Fairs

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Like the workshops, it is also customary to hold an orchid fair at the Palais de l’Europe. The orchids have their own garden and spaces within the grounds and it is one of the most anticipated events of the entire Lemon Festival celebration. During these dates is when the orchids begin to bloom and show their incredible colors and fantastic aromas.

The event is held thanks to the Association des orchidophiles et des epiphytophiles de France, in French being Association des orchidophiles et des epiphytophiles de France. This organization came into being thanks to the cooperation of lovers of this type of flowers. The organization was founded in 1985 and is responsible for promoting, developing and preserving both this type of flowers and all information related to orchids.

 

6. See the Shows

Every year great shows are performed at the Teatro Francis Palmero. These shows or presentations change every year and feature various themes and pieces. These shows can be musicals, orchestra presentations or performances theatricals. Generally, show rates can range from 15 to 40 euros per ticket.

 

 

5. Participate in Street Entertainment

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During the Lemon Festival, there are several street performances by national or international groups. All these groups perform large thematic shows between dances and theatrical pieces. In previous editions, there have been groups from India, Brazil, Japan and even Latin American groups.

 

 

4. Enjoying the Musical Performances

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During carnival events, several bands take to the streets to offer musical pieces to all spectators. Such bands are mainly composed of metal instruments and percussion. In addition, they may also perform a number of marches while playing the instruments. Some spaces are also offered for people who wish to sing or elaborate musical presentations.

 

3. Taste Local Products

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At the Lemon Festival, some gastronomic tastings are held so that everyone can try some of the most popular local products. The event includes, of course, the tasting of local lemons. The Tarte au Citron de Menton is one of the most common products at the festivities. These tarts are made with asablée dough made with flour, sugar, a little salt, butter and egg. Then, this dough is filled with a cream of lemon juice, eggs and sugar..

You can also get fougasse, a traditional type of bread from Provence to which ingredients are added almost at the end of baking. Finally, you can also get a wide variety of jams with citrus fruits, some spices or lavender.

You can also get a good amount of beverages such as beers and wines produced in the same locality.

 

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2. Discover the Festivities near Menton

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During the celebration of the Lemon Festival, other carnivals and festivals also take place in the adjacent areas or regions. If you extend your visit for a couple of days and can easily get around the region, it is a good idea to visit other cities and see all the events and festivities they also have to offer.

 

Mimosa Festival

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The mimosa festival has been celebrated since 1931. The celebration lasts for 8 consecutive days and it is a great popular festivity that occupies several events in the same place. Some of the events that are integrated in the program of the Mimosa Festival are the night shows on the local beaches, election of the Queen of Mimosa, night parades with decorated floats and music and a great main parade on the city’s boardwalk.

The celebration is held in the seaside village known as Mandelieu-la-Napoule. Menton and Mandelieu-la-Napouleare nearly a two-hour drive away.

 

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Nice Carnival

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The Nice Carnival is one of the most important and popular Carnival celebrations in all of France. The event is characterized by dozens of impressive floats, groups of dancers and top-notch entertainment. Each year, the carnivals integrate a theme that they use to decorate the different floats that are presented during the weeks and of course, the different colorful costumes of the dancers and bands.

The Nice Carnival has 3 different parades, which are the main attractions of the festivities: The Battle of Flowers, Parade of Lights and Corso Carnavalesque Parada Nissarda. Each of these events boasts unique characteristics.

The Battle of Flowers features the most beautiful floats of the entire event. During the event, dozens of flower floats eat up the streets of the city. On top of each of the cars there are some people throwing flowers to the public, who catch them with great enthusiasm. During the event there are also several dancers, jugglers, giant puppets and acrobats who entertain the whole audience.

 

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The Parade of Lights takes place during the night and as its name suggests, the main attraction is the illumination of the event. The floats presented in that event feature a lot of lights and entertaining ambiance. In addition, some colorful and fantastic projections are also performed. Just like the Battles of the Flowers, there are also several dancers, acrobats and puppets moving all over the place. During the event they also throw kilos and kilos of confetti.

The Corso Carnavalesque Parada Nissarda is a phenomenal macro event, which is the main event of the whole festival. During the event, dozens of colorful and thematic floats are presented and cheer up all the public that is in the enclosure. These floats enjoy a surprising ingenuity, as they can move from one side to the other and interact with the public. The event also includes the participation of several dancers, contortionists, acrobats and many other artists. As usual of the festivities, thousands and thousands of kilos of confetti fly through the air during the event. Nice is only 40 minutes away from Menton.

 

1. Tour the city

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Botanical Garden Val Rahmeh-Menton

This botanical garden has multiple plots covering just over 1 hectare. The plants found in the grounds are spread around an Italian-style villa renovated in the 1920s. In addition, it has a series of walkways and open spaces that alternate with enclosed spaces with various decorations.

The enclosure also has some informative areas where you can find infographs and small documents that represent the geographical climatic zones of the plants found in the enclosure and in the area of the city. In the enclosure there are sections of tropical forest, dry tropical, Mediterranean regions, medicinal plants, fruit trees and citrus orchards.

 

Jean Cocteau Museum

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This museum dedicated to French artist Jean Cocteau. The museum incorporates the collection of the American businessman Séverin Wunderman. The enclosure is divided into 6 different parts, housing almost 1,000 works by Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau, which began to form part of the collection since Séverin Wunderman was only 19 years old. These works within the museum span diverse styles and stages, not all of which are finished works or of incredible composition.

The collections integrate early graphic works in pencil, pastels and watercolors on paper, but can also encompass his films and clips. In addition to works by Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau, the museum also features some photographic pieces by Lucien Clergue, a French photographer born in 1934.

 

Musée de Préhistoire Régionale

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It is amuseum of Regional Prehistory. It was founded in 1878. Within its facilities you can find exhibits related to regional prehistory, which has illustrated material, audiovisual room with films on Prehistory and some recreational activities on the origin and evolution of Man in Africa and Eurasia..

The museum also has a permanent exhibition of wreck treasures that was carried out with the Département des recherches archéologiques subaquatiques et sous-marines. Finally, it has an exhibition on the history of the Iron Age and Late Antiquity, which has works and documents dating from 300 BC and 660 AD.