[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/07/07/staples.long.line.art.jpg caption="(Getty Images) Fans wait to sign a large banner in memory of pop star Michael Jackson at Staples Center on July 5, 2009 in Los Angeles, California."]
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) - They poured in to Los Angeles from places far-flung, an army of Michael Jackson fans hoping to collectively mourn their idol in a massive ceremony at the Staples Center downtown Tuesday.
Police put up concrete barriers around the center, allowing only fans with tickets to the star-studded event to enter - beginning at 6 a.m. (9 a.m. ET).
Parking lots in the area raised their prices, some as high as $30. Airports in Southern California saw a spike in bookings. And several movie theaters in the area announced special screenings of the event, which will also be carried live by some television networks and Web sites.
"I guess the crowd estimate is the $64,000 question that everybody is wondering about, and we are as well," Jim McDonnell, assistant police chief for Los Angeles, said Monday.
"I anticipate the crowd here will be well-behaved. It will be a crowd that gathers for the right reasons and keeps the reason they're there in mind."
Police would not say what kind of security measures they have put in place. The cash-strapped city has said it will foot the bill for law enforcement.
Until the last minute, the Jackson family remained tight-lipped about where the singer will be buried, but signs pointed to Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn cemetery.
Several carloads of people, Michael Jackson's sister La Toya among them, came and went from the heavily secured cemetery after sunset Monday. But it was not immediately clear whether they were there for a private viewing.