One month after downtown Oklahoma City drew more than half a million fans celebrating the Thunder’s NBA championship, city leaders are looking back on the parade as more than just a historic moment — they’re calling it a test run for something even bigger: the 2028 Summer Olympics.

More than anything, city officials say the parade proved Oklahoma City can host major events and manage large crowds effectively.

A Parade That Brought a City Together

The massive celebration last month drew national attention and shined a global spotlight on Oklahoma City.

“It’s considered a huge success,” said Sue Hollenbeck, Executive Manager with the City Manager’s Office.

“Between the Chamber, the Thunder, OKCPD, they did a wonderful job pulling the community together in a really quite short amount of time.”

Seamless Coordination

That success was built on strong coordination between city departments, especially in transportation and public safety.

Jesse Rush, Director of EMBARK, said their team safely transported 10,000 people downtown using three Park & Ride locations.

“We probably could have started a little bit sooner,” he said. “We definitely know that moving forward.”

Rush said those lessons are already being applied as the city prepares to host Olympic events like canoe slalom and softball over a 16-day stretch in July 2028. EMBARK plans to expand Park & Ride services and explore additional options like streetcars and buses to help move crowds efficiently.

“We’re anticipating folks coming from all over the place, all over the nation,” Rush added.

Safety Takes Center Stage

Public safety also proved to be a team effort. The Oklahoma City Police Department worked with 24 agencies statewide during the parade. Since then, the city has formed a statewide Emergency Response Team, with 10 agencies already on board.

Unlike the one-day parade, Olympic events will bring thousands of visitors to the city for more than two weeks, and with them, new challenges.

“We’re going to have to provide something for them to do during that time,” Hollenbeck said. “Give them someplace to go, someplace to eat — and that’s going to be all over the city, all over the state really. Showcasing Oklahoma to the world.”

Looking Ahead

Oklahoma City is already working with officials in Los Angeles, the main host city for the 2028 Games, to help plan and prepare. Hollenbeck says the Thunder parade showed what’s possible.

“Just knowing how well we worked together last month sets the precedent for moving forward,” she said.

Olympic events in Oklahoma City will run from July 14th to July 29th, 2028, and will be the city’s largest international event to date, but if the Thunder parade was any indication, Oklahoma City is ready.