SAN DIEGO had a dry run for the Republican convention when it hosted 70,000 members of Alcoholics Anonymous last year.

The convention next week will attract 30,000 people but they will certainly not be "dry" as they attend the numerous receptions and beach parties laid on for the delegates and the 15,000 media workers who outnumber them.

The security precautions and the protocol for the descent of the VIPs have led some San Diegans to call the convention the "Big Headache" and the "Stairway to Hell", but with $80 million expected to be spent locally, it should be worth it.

The convention centre is so restricted in size this year that many delegates will have a good excuse to stay outside and enjoy one of the best climates in the US.

For entertainment there will be a presidential musical called Politically Korrekt. A bar called Dick's Last Resort features a tacky brassiere collection and surly waiters but has 74 different beers. Protest groups including the Poor People's Party and the Queer People's Institute have booked time slots at the First Amendment platform outside the convention centre.

The beautiful people will have an embarrassment of parties to choose from, on the beaches and luxury yachts in the marina.

Guests include former presidents George Bush and Gerald Ford, Nancy Reagan, Colin Powell, Bruce Willis, Charlton Heston and a cast of thousands.

John F. Kennedy jnr is hosting a party for his George magazine at the San Diego Zoo. There is a rival party for Speaker Newt Gingrich at the famous Sea World with its killer whales, Namu and Shamu.

The convention gala will be the biggest party of the week at the sea front Embarcadero Park. But admission to the fund raiser is a mere $1,000 a head. The hungry media types will be fed at another bash cooked up by 30 top Californian chefs.

The Irish Americans for Dole will gather daily at Kenny's Steak Pub "to exchange rumours, plan strategy and share a pint or two of Harp". There is a seven foot statue of John Wayne outside as a landmark.

The 600 delegates who are backed by the Christian Coalition may opt for the party called "Salute to Conservative Women" on a paddle boat moored in San Diego's Mission Bay.