Editing Lake Charles, Louisiana (section)

=== Mardi Gras ===
[[File:Lake Charles Mardi Gras Museum 05.jpg|thumb|right|Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu]]

[[Mardi Gras]] in Lake Charles has a long history dating back to 1882, when Momus, King of Mardi Gras, landed his royal yacht at the foot of Pujo Street downtown. Throughout the two World Wars, Mardi Gras was downsized which led to a lack of participation by the area's youth. However, an interest in redeveloping the festivities arose, and the first Mardi Gras Ball in Lake Charles was staged in 1964. The full revival of Mardi Gras in Lake Charles was not realized until 1979, when several [[Krewe]] captains formed the "Krewe of Krewes", with the primary purpose of parading and promoting Mardi Gras for local residents. In 1985, Mardi Gras of Imperial Calcasieu, Inc. was formed by a group of civic-minded volunteers to further aid in the preservation of this festival.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lake Charles |url=http://www.swlamardigras.com/about/history.cfm |title=Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras History in Lake Charles |website=Swlamardigras.com |access-date=March 30, 2017}}</ref> Mardi Gras in Lake Charles regularly draws in crowds of 150,000.