Jackson's coffin will be on stage
Michael Jackson's coffin will be exhibited at Los Angeles' Staples Centre during the singer's memorial.
Police have blocked off roads around the venue and warned those without tickets to stay away because they would not be able to get close.
But UK-based airlines have reported a surge in bookings as Britons flock to the west coast of the US for the service.
A few dozen people, some wearing the gold wristband that will allow them into the service, have already gathered at the perimeter set up outside the centre among those without passes.
Among the memorial participants will be Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Martin Luther King III.
About 50 cinemas across the USA are planning to broadcast the memorial live, for free.
Jackson died at age 50 with hundreds of millions in debts. But a court filing estimates his estate is worth more than 500 million dollars. His assets are destined for a trust, with his three children, his mother and charities as beneficiaries.
Roads are closed and the media is massed at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles. The night before, activity had been spotted there involving the Jackson family.
La Toya Jackson, wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, was seen being driven away from the cemetery. Helicopter footage showed a hearse backing up to the Hall of Liberty - a circular building at the cemetery that contains a 1,200-seat auditorium - to deliver a coffin.
A few hours later, the coffin was reloaded into the hearse and delivered to another nearby building, this time covered in a blue cloth.
