Fête du Citron - Menton, France

This postcard is from when I travelled to Menton in the south of France with a friend. He had visited the town many times as a child, spending holidays with his grandparents and attending the annual Fête du Citron. This trip was a chance for him to revisit those memories and for me to experience the festival for the first time. We stayed for five days, right in the middle of citrus season, when Menton bursts into colour and energy.

The Fête du Citron is a spectacle of creativity. Sculptures made entirely from oranges and lemons line the streets, each year with a different theme. The year we went it was “Rock & Opéra” which meant everything from elaborate citrus guitars to opera masks glinting in the winter sun. Coming from a grey London February, it felt almost surreal to step into such vivid warmth and light.

We explored the town and wandered through the Jardin Botanique Val Rahmeh Menton with its extraordinary variety of citrus trees. I even braved an icy morning swim in the sea. The days were bright and warm, the evenings crisp, and every sunrise and sunset seemed to wrap the pastel buildings in gold. Citrus flavours were everywhere, from the tarte au citron in a small café to the limoncello spritzes we sipped in the sun.

Photographically, I wanted to capture the light and tonal colours of Menton in winter. The warm yellows and oranges of the fruit and buildings contrasted beautifully with the deep blues of the sky and sea. My images focused less on people and more on the layers of place. I photographed the textures of the streets, the patterns of the gardens, and the glow of late afternoon sun. Many of the shots were spontaneous, taken during walks when a particular view caught my attention.

Back in London, I wanted to bring some of that atmosphere into my work. I recreated a café style image of a tarte au citron in my home studio, using natural light to echo the softness of a Menton winter afternoon. The colours of lemon yellow, warm cream and the deep brown of an espresso were chosen to reflect both the town’s palette and the flavours of the trip.

This project reminded me how powerful a change of place can be for creative energy. There is something hopeful about citrus at the end of winter. It feels like a promise of lighter days to come. My aim was to capture that sense of freshness and possibility, both in Menton and here in London.