Massive crowds as well as current and past world leaders are assembling in Johannesburg, where they will attend the official memorial for Nelson Mandela at the giant FNB soccer stadium.  The service will last four hours and is pretty much expected to be the only thing going on in South Africa for the time.

Presidents of six nations will pay tribute to the former political prisoner and anti-apartheid leader who rose to become a democratic South Africa’s first black president.  91 heads of state are attending, as well as celebrities such as Bono, Oprah Winfrey and Naomi Campbell – security is expected to be extremely tight.

In addition to US President Barack Obama and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, the presidents of Brazil, Namibia, India, Cuba, and South Africa are scheduled to speak at the service, along with family members, friends and others.  Prime Minister Tony Abbott and opposition leader Bill Shorten will lead those representing Australia.

The FNB stadium (also known as “Soccer City”) is where Nelson Mandela delivered his first major speech after his release from prison in 1990.  It can hold a maximum capacity of 94,736 people.  But even that is not large enough.  Hundreds of thousands are longing to honor and celebrate Mandela's life, so the government has set up overflow locations at stadiums and other facilities throughout the country.