The Parade of Golden Fruit

A multicoloured festival under the sun! The town comes alive on Sunday mornings, when coaches and cars dance through the streets, an endless farandole of people swaying down the alleyways to the sea. Laughter and joy shine from happy faces everywhere.

Today is a holiday! A wide-eyed child stares in wonderment at the confetti showering from the sea blue sky… Creative masks and sumptuous costumes abound; fanfares twirl and zigzag through the citrus-laden floats to the sound of traditional drums.

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Date		Sundays 15th and 22th February and 1 nd March 2009 at 2.30pm
Place		Promenade du soleil

Moonlit Parade

The fruits of the sun have a date with the moon…

During the day, the whole town seems to be holding its breath… All is calm, maybe too calm… As night falls, a float laden with oranges and lemons appears as if from nowhere, followed by another… the drums beat impatiently, a trumpet tosses a melody into the air. And then suddenly, the din stops. It’s time for the party! Fanfares, orchestras, folk groups and dancers incite disorder, bringing the kind of incandescent splendour normally found in the most extravagant festivals to this parade.

There will be fireworks at the end of the moonlit parades
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Date		Thursdays 19th, 26th February 2009 at 8.30pm
Place		Promenade du soleil

Citrus Exhibition

A world tour in citrus: travel to all four corners of the world, as rendered by citrus fruits!

The jardins Biovès, from 9am to 6pm, weekends 9am to 7pm

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Gardens of Light

Come to the Jardins Biovès as night falls... Visit after 8.30pm and you will encounter bizarre sounds, strange creatures borne of light, displays and other illuminated motifs. You’ll discover a new way of seeing, a new perspective…
These illuminated compositions stretch and jump and play, seeming to bring time to a standstill in a magical fairytale world of sound and light.

Date		Fridays 13th, 20th and 27th February 2009
Place		Promenade du soleil

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Ticket Office

Book your tickets in advance online and enjoy the best seats in the house!

Online Ticket Office - secure online payment

Buy your tickets online (from september 2008)

* Group : min 20 persons
* reduced fare : child from 6 to 14 years old and group accommodate at menton

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Tourist Board

One of the Tourist Board’s goals is to ensure that you experience this festival with a maximum of enjoyment and a minimum of effort!

parking
If you need to find parking, we recommend the public car parks. But public transport is a better option.

Motor homes
Saint Michel Municipal Campground
on each of the three parade Sundays, 65 extra motor home parking spaces will be available on the football pitch next to Koaland.
Information about parking regulations in Menton

train
There are two SNCF stations in town.
Menton station is 200m from the jardins Biovès, very close to the seafront route of the parades.
Menton Garavan station is 1km from the Italian border.

Accommodation
The town offers a diverse range of quality accommodation, including 35 1 to 4 star hotels (a total of 1185 rooms), 1 campsite (Saint Michel** 131 places), 3 apartment hotels, 4 seasonal residence halls, holiday homes, a syndicate of landlords with furnished apartments, 1 youth hostel, and several bed and breakfast establishments.

Accommodation Offers
Some hoteliers have special offers throughout the Fête du Citron®

Around the Lemon Festival

The Orchid Festival
Presented by the Association des Orchidophiles et Épiphytophiles de France, orchids are opening and flourishing in their own garden at the Palais de l’Europe. The ones on show are the world’s most beautiful, and they rival one another in colour, shape, and mysterious perfume. Like the carnival, the evocative and exotic names of these hybrid, botanical, and miniature varieties invite us to take a journey to a far-off land…

Salon de l’Artisanat
Local artisans present their work: wooden sculptures, glass engraving, ceramics and pottery... Taste the citrus flavours and local foods that make up the Menton’s gourmet smorgasbord of delights.
Monday to Friday 9.30am to 6pm
Saturday & Sunday 9am to 7pm
Evening parade & Jardins de Lumières nights until 8pm

Around the Lemon of menton

Brighter yellow, shapelier, richer in essential oils, acid and flavour… Menton’s lemons are prized and sought after for their unique taste and smell. They are currently in the process of getting Protected geographical indication that will authenticate their quality. Take this opportunity to discover Menton’s lemons… nature, culture and tradition all in one.

Visit a citronneraie
The lemon orchard’s location, on the eastern flanks of the Annonciade, favours citrus growth. The land belongs to a former car racer, who has since made lemon his fuel. With such passionate backing, the Menton lemon will not hold its secret for long…

Visit an artesian jam maker
Oranges, both bitter and sweet, mandarins, Menton lemons… hundreds of varieties of Mediterranean flavours are on offer at this old-fashioned jam maker…

Visit the Palais Carnolès’ Citrus Collection
The Grimaldis’ former summer home houses Europe’s largest citrus collection open to the public. Rare and endangered species are kept alive here. The collection won the honour of being one of the Minster of Culture and Communication’s “Jardins Remarquables,” or remarkable gardens.

Informations

Press information click here

Office de tourisme de Menton

8 avenue Boyer
Le Palais de l'Europe
06500 Menton - France
Tél : +33 (0)4 92 41 76 76
www.feteducitron.com
tourisme@menton.fr

Booking and ticket Office
Tél : 04.92.41.76.95