tuesday photo challenge – scale

Scale??? The scale of work maybe???

With my images from this year’s La Fête du Citron ( the Lemon festival) in Menton on the French Riviera. I want to reflex on and share the scale of work that goes into their yearly festival.

140 tonnes (308,647 lbs.) of citrus, 18 tonnes (39,683 lbs.) of fruit per pattern, 8 km (5 miles) of garlands and 400 participants, over 20 days with a zest of madness. Plus the flowers and plants that are so carefully chosen to match the sculptures.

Some can reach heights of 10 metres and more – just amazing. The theme this year was the “The Holidays of the World”

Menton is located on the other side of Monaco on 3,7 km (2,2 miles) from the Italian border, about a 45 minutes walk.

A unique event in the world attracts more than 250,000 visitors every year come and enjoys the zest-flavoured of Golden parades and night-time parades (parades of citrus floats and animated by groups) and the exhibition of citrus patterns in the gardens Biovès (by day and/or night with the gardens of lights).

This year did they have to close down the festival 5 days before closing date because of the Covid-19 virus.

It was the 87th festival … this year. They rinse the displays twice per day to keep the fruits fresh. The fruits are fixed on boxwood garlands structured on wire cages.

At the end of the event, the fruits, 90% of which are in good condition, are sold at low prices

The festival is held for 20 days at the end of February, at the same times as the magical Carnaval de Nice.

We visited in the middle of the day … but next time will I be wiser and visit in the afternoon … then have dinner at some nice seafront restaurant and enjoy the evening parade, before getting back on the train to Nice- the journey takes about 40 min.

“If festivals were free,
you’d never see me again”
Unknown