New Orleans is preparing to debut a temporary memorial and lighting installation that blends holiday beauty with collective remembrance. Beginning December 1, visitors walking through the 100 to 300 blocks of Bourbon Street will look up to find Second Line in the Sky, a sweeping canopy of illuminated prayer flags created to honor the lives affected by the January 1 tragedy and to offer the city a shared space for reflection.
The project was conceived by Katy Casbarian of Arnaud’s Restaurant and brought to life by Jennie West and Jason Richards of Studio West, a husband-and-wife team known for their design work throughout New Orleans. Their vision transforms one of the French Quarter’s busiest corridors into a peaceful passage of light, color, and memory during a season often defined by celebration.
Second Line in the Sky features 822 individual prayer flags suspended between twenty-one buildings. The installation stretches across three blocks and is designed to glow both day and night. The display joins the city’s holiday programming, complementing beloved winter traditions such as Holidays New Orleans Style and NOLA ChristmasFest while offering a more contemplative experience within the midst of the festivities.
For Casbarian, the installation reflects the spirit of resilience that defines New Orleans. She noted that Second Line in the Sky represents the way the city turns shared pain into collective strength. Her leadership included conceptualizing the project and guiding the fundraising efforts that allowed the display to take shape.
The visual language of the installation draws from the New Orleans Second Line tradition. The glowing trumpets, umbrellas, patterns resembling shifting music, and the motifs of dancing handkerchiefs all serve as reminders of the creative culture that defines the city. The artistic team includes Babette Beaullieu, Margaret Crosby, and Jan Gilbert, three artists with deep ties to New Orleans who were commissioned to create the flags at the heart of the memorial.
“It has been an honor for Studio West to support the creative vision of this project and work alongside so many dedicated collaborators to create something meaningful for our city,” said Studio West co-founder Jennie West.
Each flag was sewn with care and designed as an individual tribute. Photographs by Judy Cooper and Jamell Tate are embedded within the fabric, combined with handwritten survivor messages and family notes. The flags carry the names of those remembered and glow in warm shades of red, pink, and orange that evoke the joyful essence of New Orleans. The result is a display that turns grief into light, a theme echoed by artist Babette Beaullieu, who described the project as a space where loss can be honored without losing sight of the vitality that defines the city.
A public lighting ceremony will take place on December 1 at 5 p.m. at the corner of Bourbon and Bienville Streets. The installation will remain on view until January 18, offering residents and visitors time to linger beneath the canopy and reflect during a season marked by togetherness and tradition.
The project is funded entirely through private and nonprofit contributions, and Second Line in the Sky will remain freely viewable throughout the day and evening. Images of the flags and design sketches are available on the installation’s website, where additional photographs will be added once the display is fully lit.
Second Line in the Sky honors the city’s past while illuminating a path forward, transforming Bourbon Street into a space where memory and celebration coexist. It is a reminder of the city’s capacity to grieve, to uplift, and to shine again.
