Festivals have always been a part of Louisiana, and Lake Charles is certainly no exception.

Nicknamed “Festival Capital of the State,” the city is home to more than 75 fairs, festivals and special events, according to Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau Media Relations Specialist Will Precht.

“There are more than 75 fairs and festivals held in Lake Charles and that number seems to be growing every year,” Precht said. “From Contraband Days to the Iowa Rabbit Festival and the Louisiana Winter Beer Fest to Mardi Gras, there’s something for everyone to enjoy here in Southwest Louisiana.”

Those events are good for the city because it brings a lot of people from all over to Lake Charles for the food, music and fun, he said.

Contraband Days, one of the city’s oldest festivals and the second-longest festival in the state because it has traditionally been a two-week celebration, annually has a local economic impact of several million dollars.

Contraband Days has repeatedly been named Festival of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festival and was named one of the top 100 events in North America by the American Bus Association.

The first Contraband Days festival was held June 29, 1958, as a one-day festival of water events. It later expanded to a two-week event featuring more than 100 activities, including carnival rides, live music, a car show, contests, fireworks and more.

This year’s celebration is being shortened to a four-day event, May 4-7.

According to Creole-Acadia legion, Jean Lafitte and his pirates abandoned their treasures at Barataria Bay near New Orleans, then fled westward taking refuge in “Charley’s Lake,” in what is now Lake Charles. Legend has it Lafitte buried his contraband along its shores.

That legend is celebrated each spring during the annual festival, which kicks off with Buccaneers taking over the city for the duration of the festival.

The city’s Mardi Gras has also exploded over the past few years, making it the second-largest Mardi Gras celebration in the state next to New Orleans.

Mardi Gras kicks off with the Twelfth Night celebration in early January with the grand promenade of more than 60 krewes. Parades with lavish floats, dances, cook-offs and more pack the days leading up to Fat Tuesday.

Among one of the city’s newest festivals is the Louisiana Winter Beer Festival, which began in 2015. The festival offers ticket holders a chance to sample dozens of different beers, while learning more about the products and different styles of beer.

The city also hosts a series of Cajun-themed festivals including the Fur and Wildlife Festival, Cajun Music & Food Festival, Marshland Festival, Arts and Crabs, Calca-Chew Food Festival, Marshland Festival and more.

Local events also embrace the diversity of styles and flavors where crawfish, boudin, barbecue, wine tasting and more are celebrated.

Dozens of other events provide holiday-themed activities for Christmas and the Fourth of July.

Cheannault Airshow, Flea Fest, Downtown at Sundown and more also provide fun for the whole family.

Couples hit the dance floor at the 28th annual Cajun Music & Food Festival at the Burton Coliseum Complex  in July 2015. (Rick Hickman / American Press Archives)