Thousands Pack Oakland Plaza to Celebrate Figure Skater Alysa Liu's Olympic Gold

Thousands of people filled Frank Ogawa Plaza on Thursday, March 12, to welcome home Alysa Liu, the Oakland-raised figure skater who brought back two gold medals from February's Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after a two-year hiatus from the sport. The sold-out rally, hosted by Oakland-born radio and television personality Sway Calloway, drew a multigenerational crowd that spilled across the plaza in front of Oakland City Hall.

Liu, who is the first U.S. woman to win Olympic gold in figure skating since Sarah Hughes in 2002, spoke directly to the crowd about her roots. "I love Oakland," she said. "I've been here all my life." She recalled skating as a child at the Oakland Ice Center, walking through Ogawa Plaza to grab lunch at the nearby Oakland City Center, and spending days with her family eating at Chinatown's many restaurants. "This is such a great place, and I'm so lucky to grow up here and still live here today," she said.

The celebration around her was unmistakably East Bay. Dragon dancers, the Fremont High School drum line, and turf dancers performed for the crowd, while food trucks lined the perimeter of the family-friendly, alcohol-free event. Gates had opened at 9 a.m., three hours before the noon rally, and security screenings slowed entry as the plaza filled. Reservations had been required through visitoakland.com, and organizers described the event as sold out.

Mayor Barbara Lee framed the afternoon as something larger than a sports celebration. "This rally is a celebration not just of an extraordinary champion, but of everything our community represents: grit, excellence, and the belief that Oakland always punches above its weight," Lee said. She added: "Alysa Liu is Oakland — her drive, her brilliance, her joy. Watching her claim gold for our city and our country filled every Oaklander with pride."

Educator Talia Krebs-Oppenheimer made the trip to Ogawa Plaza with her students from Bret Harte Middle School after their music teacher suggested the rally as a way to honor Women's History Month. "You got to come out and show the kids that they can do whatever they want," Krebs-Oppenheimer said. The turnout, she added, "really shows that Oakland is a true community town."

The community enthusiasm extended beyond the plaza. Since Liu's Olympic victory and her on-air shoutout to Oakland during live television coverage, a newly painted mural of her holding a gold medal on Telegraph Avenue had become an informal gathering spot, with residents stopping to take selfies and talk about the East Bay native's rise.

Born in Clovis, Liu spent much of her childhood in Richmond and Oakland, training at the Oakland Ice Center and attending the Oakland School for the Arts. Organizers said the rally was also an opportunity to showcase Oakland's broader creative talent, pointing to the performances as evidence of the city's depth in both sports and the arts.

Liu will headline the 2026 Stars on Ice tour, which kicks off April 16 in Fort Myers, Florida, and runs through May 31 in Southaven, Mississippi. The tour stops at SAP Center in San Jose on May 17, where she will be joined by two-time Olympic gold medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates, and Ilia Malinin, the self-proclaimed "Quad God." The San Jose show will be Liu's homecoming performance for Bay Area audiences who couldn't make it to Ogawa Plaza.