The picturesque NSW river town of Macksville is about to shut down to mourn the death of its favourite son, Phillip Hughes.

The funeral for the late Test cricketer, who died at the age of 25 last week after being hit by a bouncer at the SCG, will start at 2pm on Wednesday at a high school recreation hall on the NSW mid-north coast.

The predicted thousands of mourners that can’t fit into the hall, which is expected to squeeze in about 1000 people, will watch proceedings from a nearby sports ground in sunny, steamy conditions.

The death of the young batsman last Thursday has sparked tributes from Broadway to Barbados, Macksville to Manchester, Hollywood to Bollywood.

There is even a mass being held in the Vatican to celebrate his short life.