Carnival in Menton
The Lemon Festival is the second biggest public event of the winter on the French Riviera after the Nice Carnival. It is held every year from mid-February until the end of the month.
The Lemon Festival combines carnival traditions with the celebration of Menton as the Lemon Capital of Europe. The celebration features magnificent themed floats built primarily from lemons and oranges, many of which are imported from Spain.
Decorations with themes – in 2026 the theme is “Wonders of Life”
A total of 180 tons of fruit are used to build the impressive figures that adorn the rafts and the entire garden area along Avenue Boyer.
Each year a special theme is chosen to decorate the Lemon Festival and these were for example: in 1982 Jules Verne, in 1991 Mozart, in 1998 Tintin, in 2002 Pinocchio, in 2017 Broadway and in 2018 Bollywood.
In 2026, the theme is “Wonders of Life” – see the link to the program at the end of the article.
The idea originated in 1928
The first Lemon Festival was held in 1934, but the idea was born in 1928 when a hotel owner decided to organize a private exhibition of flowers and citrus fruits in the garden of the Hotel Riviera.
It was such a success that the municipality took up the idea to make it an even bigger event. The first official festival was held in 1934 and has only been interrupted four times by war in the years 1940-46, in 1991 by the Iraq war and in 2021 due to COVID-19.
CityXee recommends
Menton is not a big city and with many visitors, long queues and traffic jams can quickly develop.
Therefore, arrive in good time (preferably in the morning) and park in a nice walking distance from the city center. Avoid weekends if possible.
See this year’s program here – LA FÊTE DU CITRON MENTON – 2026
By Tommy Sverre – updated 2026
