Held annually around the first part of May and unique to Lake Charles, the Louisiana Pirate Festival celebrates the legend of pirate Jean Lafitte. The story goes that pirate Jean Lafitte docked his boat right on the sandy shore of Lake Charles and buried his treasure somewhere along its banks. On the first night, witness the cannon fire as the citizens of Lake Charles try to defend the seawall only to have the pirates capture the mayor, put him on trial, and force him to walk the plank.
