The Lemon Festival in Menton, 13 to 28 February 2027

The Lemon Festival is the reason half the world has heard of Menton, and to me it’s one of the few big festivals on this coast that makes sense even if you’re not local. Floats and sculptures built from thousands of lemons and oranges, in the middle of February and eleven minutes from Monaco by train. Here are the 2027 dates, what every ticket costs and how I’d plan it from Monaco.

2027 dates, and a look back at 2026

The 2027 edition runs from 13 to 28 February under the theme Douce France. The 2026 edition, the 92nd, ran from 14 February to 1 March with the theme Merveilles du vivant, so the festival tends to fill the second half of February, give or take a day. It goes back a long way. In 1929 a hotelier staged a show of flowers and citrus fruit in the gardens of the Hôtel Riviera, the following year it spilled into the streets, and in 1934 the Fête du Citron as we know it was born. Since 2019 it has featured on France’s official list of intangible cultural heritage.

Here’s something few people know. The lemons on the floats aren’t from Menton. The organisers say so plainly, because the Menton lemon has PGI status and the town’s entire crop wouldn’t get them started. When the festival ends, the fruit is taken down, sorted and sold at the entrance to the Biovès gardens.

What happens at the Lemon Festival?

There are two headline events and a handful of smaller ones. The first is the citrus sculpture exhibition in the Biovès gardens, one of the free gardens in Menton, which you can visit any day of the festival from 09:00 until 18:00, with pieces that in some cases use close to fifteen tonnes of fruit. The second is the parades, or corsos, of citrus floats along the Promenade du Soleil. The golden fruit parades are on Sundays 14, 21 and 28 at 14:30, and the night parades on Thursdays 18 and 25 at 21:00, with fireworks at 22:30.

Around them are three more things. The Gardens of Light, an evening stroll through the illuminated exhibition on Tuesdays and Fridays. The orchid show in the Palais de l’Europe. And a craft market on the Mail du Bastion, free to enter, with tastings. The full programme, hour by hour, is in the tables on this page.

Tickets and official prices

This is where many people get caught out. You can’t watch the parade for free from the pavement, because the whole route is fenced off and has a maximum capacity. In 2027 a grandstand seat costs €30 and a standing ticket €16, day or night. The citrus exhibition is €12 and includes the orchids, and the Gardens of Light are €16. Children aged 6 to 12 pay a reduced rate, and under-6s go free standing, but still need a ticket, and pay €15 in the grandstand.

My favourite buy is the Thursday package at €37, which combines the night parade grandstand and the exhibition. Bought separately, you’d pay €42. Tickets are sold on fete-du-citron.com, they’re dated and non-refundable; if you can’t go, resale goes through the organisers’ official platform. On festival days there are ticket booths at the entrances, but only for whatever seats are left, and I wouldn’t gamble on that on a Sunday.

Getting there from Monaco without the stress

By train, no question. The organisers ask for it, put on a ZOU! train every 15 minutes between Cannes and Menton for the whole festival and add extra trains on night parade Thursdays. Monaco to Menton takes 11 minutes, and Menton station is 200 metres from the Biovès gardens. The other station, Menton-Garavan, is 3 km from the festival, so I wouldn’t get off there. Buy a return before you set off, as it’s valid on any ZOU! train that day. If you’d rather stay over on those nights, I cover where to stay in Menton.

If you’re coming from further along the coast, the leg into Monaco is laid out in my Nice to Monaco route guide. One practical point for UK travellers. The train runs through both France and Monaco, and Monaco is not covered by EU roaming, and British networks have each set their own charges there since Brexit, so check your plan before you board.

How I’d spend a festival day

On a Thursday, I’d arrive mid-morning, take my time over the citrus exhibition, have something to eat and head to the parade enclosure around 18:00, when the gates open. The organisers suggest arriving two hours before the show because of security checks, and fifteen minutes after the start entry is no longer guaranteed. On a Sunday, the same plan, but with gates at 11:00 and the feeling that half the Riviera has had the same idea.

With a standing ticket you can move around the enclosure, and the organisers themselves say Avenue Félix Faure and Avenue Carnot are usually less crowded than the seafront. Leave the reusable water bottle, folding chair and penknife behind, as they won’t get through security, and leave the dog at home. Food is allowed.

If you have a spare morning, head up to the old town, which I cover in things to do in Menton. And if you’d like to line the trip up with other February events nearby, see Monaco events.