The Lunar New Year, known as Tet to the Vietnamese, falls on February 10, 2013.  In New Orleans, the auspicious date coincides with the parade-busy weekend buildup to Mardi Gras on February 12.  So Mary Queen of Vietnam church parish will hold its annual three-day Tet festival on February 15-17.  Check out the church’s website for complete details: http://www.maryqueenofvietnamparish.org/index.php?lang=en The festival, held on the church grounds, offers an array of Vietnamese food (pho, grilled meats, fried bananas, spring rolls) and a small selection of Latin American foods.

FYI, 2013 is the year of the (Water) Snake.

ETA:  Seth Kugel writes about Vietnamese food in New Orleans in the Feb 5th NY Times.