A narwhal looms behind this tangy take on the famed Nautilis. (Getty/AFT/Valery Hache)

This French coastal town takes the old adage “When life give you lemons …” to a whole new level. Every year, Menton, the easternmost town on the French Riviera, puts a unique twist on end-of-winter festivities by transforming the town center into a whimsical homage to citrus fruit – the local export.

For two weeks in spring (Feb. 15-March 5 this year), the Fête du Citron turns the town’s Biovès Garden into a sculpture garden of colorful characters and animals, all built with around 145,000 tons of lemons and oranges (give or take for spoiling).

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This year’s theme is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, celebrating Jules Verne's tale of the Nautilus submarine and its crazy commander. In a walk around the gardens, visitors should keep their eyes peeled for Captain Nemo, Professor Aronnax, narwhals, whales and a giant squid among other creations.

The tradition started in 1929 when a hotelier came up with the idea of organizing a flower and citrus fruit exhibition to celebrate the citrus-growing region’s unique slice of life. These days, the event draws thousands of visitors who squeeze into the city center for a variety of events, including a craft and orchid fair where you can pick up a lemon tree to take home and several parades featuring smaller citrus fruit creations on floats, the Huffington Post reports.

If you’re feeling sour on the daytime events, you can zest up you evening with one of the many citrus-based liquors and hit the festival’s sparkling nighttime garden of lights exhibition.

However you choose to enjoy the spectacle, you bitter not miss it.

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