The city of Los Angeles has begun gearing up for a monstrous tribute to the King of Pop. A Jackson spokesman announced late Thursday a public memorial would be held Tuesday morning at the Staples Center.

A total of 17,500 tickets will be made available to the general public—11,000 for inside the Staples Center and the remaining 6,500 who will be able to watch from across the street at the Nokia Center, which will be filled with huge-screen TVs streaming the live event.

To be eligible for tickets, fans must log on to StaplesCenter.com and register between now and 6 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, 8,750 names will be drawn randomly and each will receive two tickets. Ticketmaster will then be distributing tickets and wristbands to those chosen few on Monday. Those who can’t get the precious tickets – 11,000 in the Staples Center and another 6,500 to watch on big screens at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live across the street – can watch a live worldwide television feed being provided free to networks or on streaming video on the Web.

The Staples Center Website has received over 500 million hits, slowing down the site considerably and preventing some fans from being able to register right away. AEG reps say they have added another server to help with the high volume of traffic. City and police officials were adamant that those without a ticket and a wristband will not be allowed anywhere near the event.

At the downtown Staples Center Assistant Police Chief Earl Paysinger said anywhere from 250,000 to 700,000 people could try to reach the arena. Jan Perry, a Los Angeles city councilwoman, said fans who do not get tickets “might want to consider watching this from the comfort of your own home.” The ceremony will not be shown outside the venue on any of the jumbo screens.

The memorial will feature performances and tributes from a host of music and acting legends and will open with a parade of circus animals, including tigers and elephants walking trunk to tail – part of LA’s annual Parade of the Elephants. The parade, devised by The Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus, which has had to postpone it show at the Staples Center. A spokesman for the circus said Tuesday’s event would be the ‘greatest show on Earth’, exactly the phrase Jackson used in 2002 when asked what he thought his funeral would be like.

Among the guests expected to attend the memorial service are Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor and Sir Paul McCartney. President Barack Obama has also been invited, one report claims, and last night he spoke for the first time about the singer’s death. He said: ‘I still have all his stuff on my iPod. I grew up on his music.’ He added that he thought Jackson had experienced ‘a tragic and in many ways sad personal life’. Jackson’s long-term friend and producer Quincy Jones said that he will not be going. He said: ‘No. I’m not going to the funeral. I don’t wanna go to no funeral. It’s not what I want to see.’ After the memorial, there will be a private ceremony at Forest Lawn cemetery in Hollywood which will be attended by family and close friends only.

In a statement Friday, the Jackson family said: “It was our wish to allow as many of Michael’s fans to be part of the memorial, and we wish to thank everyone for their support and understanding at this difficult time.” Meanwhile, the grounds of Jackson’s former home, Neverland Ranch, will be closed to the media and well-wishers beginning tonight and remain off-limits until after the funeral services “to focus on the Tuesday celebration of Michael’s life,” a ranch spokeswoman said.