Oakland plans citywide celebration honoring Alysa Liu after historic 2026 Olympic women’s figure skating gold

City officials coordinating date and format for public homecoming event

Oakland officials are preparing a citywide celebration for figure skater Alysa Liu following her gold-medal performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The City has said planning is underway and that details, including a date, are being coordinated with Liu’s team.

Liu, 20, won the Olympic title in women’s singles on Feb. 19, 2026, at the Milano Cortina Games. Her victory marked the first Olympic gold in the event by an American woman since 2002. She also earned a second gold medal earlier in the Games as part of the U.S. team event.

Local roots in Oakland and the East Bay

Liu has longstanding ties to the East Bay. She was raised in Richmond and has been associated with Oakland’s skating community through training at the Oakland Ice Center. Her local profile has also included ties to the Oakland School for the Arts, where she attended for a period earlier in her schooling.

The planned Oakland celebration is being framed as a community-wide event recognizing a hometown athlete who reached the top of her sport on the Olympic stage. Officials have emphasized that the goal is to create a public moment that allows residents to participate, rather than limiting recognition to a private ceremony.

What made the Olympic win historically notable

In Milan, Liu sealed the women’s singles gold with a free skate set to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park Suite.” Her combined score was reported as 226.79, including a free skate mark of 150.20. The performance was also noted for the absence of negative grades of execution on her elements.

• Date of women’s singles gold: Feb. 19, 2026

• Combined score: 226.79

• Free skate score: 150.20

• Additional Olympic gold: U.S. team event (earlier in the Games)

Community response already underway

Public celebrations have begun even before a formal Oakland event has been scheduled. Liu drew a welcome in the Bay Area upon returning from the Games, and Oakland businesses have also moved to recognize her accomplishment. A longtime Piedmont Avenue institution, Fentons Creamery, announced it would provide Liu “ice cream for life” and invited her to hold a homecoming celebration at the shop.

Oakland’s planned celebration remains in the planning stage, with city officials indicating that final timing will depend on coordination with Liu’s schedule.

For Oakland, the upcoming event is expected to serve as both recognition of an individual athletic achievement and a civic gathering centered on a rare moment of Olympic success closely tied to the city’s local sports institutions.