QUEBEC - Quebec City was a cobblestone key to establishing a European settlement in North America, but its 400th birthday is approaching with the stealth of Gen. James Wolfe's infantry scaling the city's cliffs some 250 years ago.

The city is arguably the birthplace of Canada, but Quebec's history of English and French conflict and nationalist politics, along with a dose of organizational misstep, are conspiring to keep a lid on the year-long bash.

Perched on a promontory above the narrows of the St. Lawrence River, the city is preparing for a $90-million anniversary that will include dozens of parties, starting with new year fireworks and ending with a fall circus.

Despite high-profile events linked to the anniversary, including a Celine Dion concert, a possible papal visit and an attempt to plant the city's flag atop Mount Everest, the event hasn't exactly triggered a national stir.

A poll conducted earlier this year for the federal government -- which has kicked in $40 million for the event -- found more than 80 per cent of Canadians didn't even know about the anniversary.

Awareness of the event ranged from 20 per cent in Atlantic Canada to 12 per cent in the Prairies, according to the Harris-Decima poll prepared for the Heritage Department earlier this year.

Pierre Boulanger, president of the organizing committee, admitted he has work to do to promote the event across Canada.

"What we're celebrating here isn't just Samuel Champlain landing here in 1608, it was also the beginning of Nouvelle France, when Quebec City was the capital of a huge North American empire,'' said Boulanger, who takes pride in noting explorers starting out from Quebec City discovered 30 of the 50 U.S. states.

"But we confess we have not been that proactive in terms of publicizing the event in normal publicity manners.''

Organizers are counting on high-profile dignitaries and dozens of events to build momentum.

Even within Quebec City, the event has been treated with skepticism. The city has seen lukewarm reactions to some events, controversy over a potential invitation to Queen Elizabeth and accusations of conflict of interest in the awarding of contracts.

Boulanger and Mayor Regis Labeaume say a visit from the Queen could give the event a much needed jolt, despite the opposition of some diehard sovereigntists and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's insistence he's received no such request.

A similar 400th anniversary celebration last summer in Jamestown, Va., made global headlines once the Queen arrived.

"I have no problem with the Queen, on the contrary, it would put the spotlight on Quebec,'' said Labeaume, a former separatist who was elected mayor a few weeks ago.

"Hey, they should invite one of the two princes. That'd probably be even better than the Queen!''

Would the Queen be an affront to history?

The Queen controversy was sparked by hardline separatists who claimed a British regal visit would be an affront to the occasion.

After all, British troops led by Wolfe defeated Canada's French ruling regime in a decisive battle on the Plains of Abraham in 1759. In the eyes of many sovereigntists, it was the start of French Canada's long humiliation.

"If we want this celebration to get the kind of visibility we'd like it to get, we want the Queen to come, we want the Pope to come,'' Boulanger said.

"Obviously you can't stop politicians from getting into politics. That's part of the game also.''

Organizers are now putting their money on the Pope, who traditionally attends a Roman Catholic conference, which is taking place in Quebec City in June.

"We don't know if he's going to show up or not,'' Boulanger said. "But if he does, obviously that will mean hundreds of thousands of people.''

Besides staging their own multimillion-dollar spectacles, organizers have also counted on drawing outside events, such as the Catholic confab and the World Hockey Championships, co-hosted in May with Halifax.

They've also sponsored dozens of smaller enterprises, from poetry readings to sending the anniversary flag into orbit with astronaut Dave Williams earlier this year.

Local rock- and ice-climbing guru Francois-Guy Thivierge will try to take a similar flag to the summit of Everest in March, with a small team of Quebecers and a Nepalese sherpa.

For Thivierge, it was a unique chance to achieve a lifelong dream.

"I want to pay homage to explorers who crossed the ocean, who lived a hard life,'' said Thivierge.

Thivierge, an energetic man with Popeye forearms, expressed regret that Quebec City's 400th bash is approaching unnoticed in Canada and with a good dose of skepticism, even in Quebec City.

"It should be a celebration for all French-Canadians, but also all Canadians, he said.

"It just seems like some people live with black clouds, they see them everywhere.''