NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Belmont campus is buzzing with activity, and part of Belmont Boulevard will look like a big party Tuesday, the day of the debate at the university between presidential hopefuls Sens. Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama.

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"There will be great music,” said Pamela Johnson, director of Marketing and Special Events at Belmont. “There will be fun. There will be food."

Police said having that block party will actually help concentrate the crowds in one area and keep them away from high-traffic roads.

They said they have heard from several protest groups and are expecting even more.

"We certainly expect groups to be there that have not notified us that they plan to be there,” said Lt. Donald Hawkins, “but we have contingency plans in place and don't expect to have any issues."

In addition, police said they have not received any threats, but are monitoring the Internet to make sure there's no chatter.

Other areas will be closed. Starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, several roads will be closed in the area, including Belmont Boulevard, Fifteenth Avenue, Acklen and Bernard avenues.

Police said there will also be places around town that will see traffic problems because of motorcades. The sidewalks will close at 6 p.m., before the McCain and Obama motorcades arrive.

"I would try to stay free of the West End, Belmont, Vanderbilt area as much as you can,” Hawkins said, “because these candidates, we know their planned moves, but they also tend to change their itineraries quite often, so we don't know where they are going to go and when they are going to go there."