Washington - Washington is rolling into high gear with less than a week left before Barack Obama is sworn in as the United States' first-ever African-American President.
Tickets for the historic 20 January event have been distributed, the day's agenda has been rolled out and security has been deployed.
An estimated four million people are expected to descend on Washington in the days leading to the inauguration.
"One of our biggest challenges is to harness the enthusiasm we have seen from people here in Washington DC and throughout the country to participate this historical occasion," said Natalie Wyeth, a spokesperson for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration Committee, where more than 400 staffers are working around the clock to finalise preparations.
Apart from official inaugural events - which include the swearing-in ceremony, parade and balls, many other activities will be held to allow more people across the country to participate, Ms Wyeth said.
Mr Obama will join his Vice President Joe Biden on a celebratory train tour to Washington via Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wilmington, Delaware, and Baltimore, Maryland, on 17 January.
An official opening ceremony of the presidential inauguration will be free to the public at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday. The event is a good opportunity for people who want to avoid heavy traffic on 20 January to get involved, Ms Wyeth said.
On the day before the inauguration, which is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Obama family will lead a community service movement in the capital in an effort to highlight the spirit of giving back to the people, she added.
To include as many people as possible in the events, Mr Obama's team will broadcast the inauguration ceremony live on the internet and via live web casts
The high interest in witnessing the historical moment from people all over the world has made tickets to the various inauguration events difficult to obtain.
"I am pretty excited to be able to have tickets when thousands and thousands of people want to get them," said Todd Gillenwater, a lobbyist who lives in Washington.
Mr Gillenwater said he had applied for the tickets when he lived in California since they might be easier to be approved in a state far from the capital.
The Senate on Wednesday approved a law banning the sale of tickets to the swearing-in ceremony. The coveted tickets are supposed to be provided free to the public by lawmakers.
The price of a ticket to the National Mall, which will be open so that the public can watch the inauguration on dozens of wide-screen TVs, have increased from $25 to about $1000.
Hotel rooms have also been booked up across the capital and in the neighbouring states of Virginia and Maryland. Hotels located along Pennsylvania Avenue, the traditional route of the inauguration parade, have been booked for some time.
"Pretty much since last inauguration, our rooms have been sold out," said Barbara Bahny David, spokesperson for the historical Willard Hotel, which has seen inauguration parades pass by since Abraham Lincoln took office.
She said that the hotel had also been making preparations to serve the increased number of guests for the inauguration. A total of 12 000 eggs, 800 pounds of cheese and 17 500 mini pastries will be made on the day.
The unprecedented interest in Mr Obama's inauguration also has brought big transportation and security challenges to the capital.
Authorities said that nearly 10 000 police officers would be deployed in Washington on inauguration day, along with another 10 000 National Guard troops stationed in the city and suburban areas. Up to 100 roads have been ordered closed from the evening of 29 January through the next day.
Spectators and reporters covering the swearing-in ceremony have been advised to arrive hours earlier because of security checks.
