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It's being billed as the biggest event in Canada between now and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. From Robert Lepage's magical outdoor projection to a floating dance floor on the St. Lawrence River, Quebec City's 400th birthday bash will also highlight a free concert by Celine Dion, a performance by Cirque du Soleil and about 130 other events in Canada's oldest city. So prepare for an almost year-long party.

It has been almost 400 years since French navigator Samuel de Champlain, on his second expedition to New France, decided to build a settlement here in the summer of 1608. Explorer Jacques Cartier first attempted to set up a colony near the same location in 1541, but scurvy, cold weather and unfriendly natives put an end to France's first attempt to colonize the New World.

Champlain learned from his predecessor's experience. He befriended the local Montagnais and Huron peoples and with their help was able to establish a secure centre to develop the fur trade, build homes and in no time ensure the rapid growth of a settlement that thrived as the birthplace of a French-speaking nation in North America.

Champlain couldn't have imagined that, 400 years later, the small settlement would grow to become what is now referred to as the "national capital" of Quebec. The city has become the centre of political life of Quebeckers, and it's no wonder that after years of political turmoil there is still no consensus in partisan circles as to what exactly is being celebrated this year — the founding of a city, the birthplace of the Quebec nation or the beginning of Canada?

For organizers, however, only one thing matters: that the celebrations create enthusiasm for a city whose heritage can be shared by everyone.

To that end, all levels of government have invested massively, not only to stage the events but also to improve roads, the waterfront, parks and other infrastructure projects to help greet the more than five million visitors expected throughout the year. Close to $500-million will have been spent to add to the city's natural charm and beauty, including the creation of the Champlain Promenade along the St. Lawrence, the construction of Espace 400e, near the docks at the Bassin Louise, and the renovation of a pavilion to host a permanent exhibition about immigration called Passengers. The economic impact of the celebration is estimated, conservatively, at $600-million. And the organizers hope all the investment will leave a lasting imprint.

"We want this to be a memorable party, one that people won't forget and that will leave its mark on future generations," Pierre Boulanger said in a recent interview before resigning this week as president and chief executive officer of the organizing committee. "Celine Dion, Robert Lepage, Cirque du Soleil, Placido Domingo, the Louvre, Starmania, sports events — this is like a crown jewel of performances. I just can't imagine that people will not be able to find something in all of this that doesn't appeal to them."

A rough start

However, it has been a bumpy ride for the organizers, as witnessed by Boulanger's sudden departure. His committee had come under heavy criticism for a lack of transparency and the appearance of conflict of interest in the awarding of publicity contracts. The committee was also under fire for failing to properly publicize the festivities; a recent federal government survey found that awareness of the event ranged from 20 per cent in neighbouring Atlantic Canada to 12 per cent in the Prairies.

The new president and chief executive officer, Daniel Gélinas, has inherited the difficult task of putting the final touches on the festivities. He will probably learn much from this week's New Year's Eve outdoor bash, which officially kicked off the 400th anniversary celebrations.

The event was held at Place d'Youville, just outside the historic Old City's fortification walls. By 9 p.m., 15,000 had packed the square and thousands were turned away. They were invited to view the spectacle on giant outdoor screens placed at the nearby National Assembly. But the logistics had been poorly planned: The screens were too small, police crowd control insufficient and public transportation inadequate. Even the countdown to the new year came three minutes late. Onlookers were provided with an impressive fireworks display, but the musical show itself, a Las Vegas-style gambit, lacked the spirit of the city's historical contribution to North American society. But the massive turnout alone — estimated at 50,000 — showed that city residents were eager to celebrate and offered organizers hope for future events.

A lack of local enthusiasm, however, was a major obstacle at first. On open-line radio shows, residents complained about the lack of information and public input. Many feared that expectations would not be met, as was the case in the mid-1980s when a high-profile tall ships event ended in a public relations disaster. (The 1984 festivities commemorated the 450th anniversary of Cartier's first voyage to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in 1534, and ended in a major flop that cost the city in both monetary terms and pride.)

This year's planned celebrations raised similar fears. And there is always the political backdrop to worry about, such as the federal government's recent decision to not invite the Queen for fear of sparking a nationalist backlash.

Such anxieties added to earlier problems, including the hosting of the International Ice Hockey Federation's major annual competition in May, which coincides with the organization's 100th anniversary. For the first time, the prestigious championship will be played outside Europe, with Halifax hosting some of the qualifying games and Quebec City home to the major venues. But without the $6-million lifeline by the anniversary organization and the recruitment of local hockey business leaders, the city would have lost the championship.

Despite the early missteps, the pieces of the puzzle are finally falling into place. A recent opinion poll found that 86 per cent of local residents now support the celebrations. A lot of credit goes to the city's late mayor, Andrée Boucher, who died last August; she promised that success could be achieved without cost overruns. Her credibility as an efficient guardian of taxpayers' money helped turn public opinion around. The city's new mayor, Régis Labeaume, has promised to follow in her footsteps, and with a new president and CEO at the helm of the organizing committee, time is of the essence to ensure the success of future events.

"For us, 2008 is like hosting the Olympics," said Quebec City tourist board president Pierre Labrie. "The only difference is that instead of having events over a 15-day period, they are spread over 10 months. So we are in a position to accommodate those who want to join in the celebrations."

Here, then, is a guide to the year's events, organized by season, running from now through the fall — where to stay, where to eat and, most importantly, what to see and do as Quebec City prepares to blow out a whole lot of candles.

Winter highlights

It was no coincidence that the New Year's Eve party was an outdoor event: Major events for the party will be held en plein air throughout the year.

The annual Quebec Winter Carnival, Feb. 1 to Feb. 17, will embrace the colours of the 400th anniversary with a revamped festival, including a redesigned closing-night parade that will reflect the anniversary theme of celebrating Quebec City as a "meeting place." Also returning will be the usual activities, such as dogsled races, snow-sculpting workshops, canoe races and Bonhomme's Ball.

During the closing days of winter, on March 15, the Quebec symphony orchestra will bring together 300 musicians and a chorus of 700 from across Quebec for a presentation at Colisée Pepsi of Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand , a piece rarely performed anywhere in the world. Spring events The international hockey competition, from May 2 to 18, will present 16 of the best teams in the World Hockey Championship. Canada opens defence of its gold medal against Slovenia at the Metro Centre in Halifax on May 2. The semi-finals and medal games will be played in Quebec City.

Numerous cultural international events will also mark the spring festivities, including Starmania Opera, a unique melding of opera singers, choirs and symphony orchestral music of the popular rock concert. For more than 25 years, the show has been a major success at home and abroad, especially in France, and it is being presented as an opera for the first time. Five presentations will be held, beginning May 17 at the Grand Théâtre de Québec.

Two important cultural exhibitions will also highlight late winter and spring activities. From Feb. 14 to April 27, the Quebec Museum of Fine Arts will display 160 selected works of 22 artists who were either born or lived in Quebec City from 1670 to 1970. The presentation, Quebec: A City and its Artists, will feature selected works from painters such as François Baillairgé, James Pattison Cockburn, Cornelius Krieghoff and Paul Lemieux. The Quebec National Museum of Civilization, meanwhile, will present an exhibition called Gold of the Americas, highlighting pre-Columbian civilizations, which opens April 30. Summer events The summer months will see dozens of shows and conferences covering a wide range of events. But for many culture enthusiasts, nothing will rival The Louvre in Quebec: The Arts and Life, an exhibit of more than 250 pieces of art from the Paris institution, running from June 5 to Oct. 26 at the Quebec Museum of Fine Arts. The objects, ranging from paintings to sculptures and from Islamic arts and Egyptian antiquities to graphic arts, will reflect the celebration's theme of meetings and encounters.

When the city was officially founded on July 3, 1608, the Huron-Wendat First Nation played an important role in helping the French settlers adapt. The Huron-Wendats have been named "host nation" of the celebrations and the indigenous peoples' contributions to the history of Quebec City will be acknowledged through special participations throughout the year. In Old Wendake, there will be performances on summer weekends, beginning July 18, of a two-hour outdoor extravaganza entitled Kiugwe (meaning "the time and the place for meeting"). A series of t ableaux vivants will illustrate the First Nation's myths and history.

The most spectacular summer event will undoubtedly push the creative boundaries of local boy Robert Lepage. For 40 nights, beginning on June 20, Lepage will display his artistic genius on a 10-storey, 600-metre-long row of grain silos, which will be transformed into a massive screen. Born and raised in Quebec City, Lepage — a theatre director, writer, actor and filmmaker — has a remarkable oeuvre of performing arts, including award-winning plays such as The Dragon's Trilogy. He jumped at the opportunity to create a visual tribute to his hometown's past, present and future. Titled The Image Mil l , the 40-minute, three-dimensional animation will mark four centuries of Quebec City's contribution to North American culture.

At the same time, 15,000 participants will arrive in the city for the Roman Catholic Church's International Eucharistic Congress, a week-long religious celebration beginning on June 15 that could attract many more to the city should Pope Benedict II decide to celebrate mass at the closing ceremonies on the Plains of Abraham.

The publicity from the Pope's visit would certainly be an attraction in the runup to the three-day celebrations marking the official anniversary beginning July 3. Dignitaries from around the world will gather for the annual anniversary High Mass in the Basilique de Québec, followed by a Salute to Champlain and a military parade showcasing Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment (the Vandoos) and its current role in Afghanistan.

July 3 is also the opening of the annual Québec City Summer Festival, which is expected to attract major performers Nickelback, Billy Talent, Solas and the Elmer Ferrer Band. The next day, the American Fourth of July holiday, will be highlighted to underscore the ties between Quebec and the United States.

On July 5, there will be a series of city-wide performances called the Urban Opera, a gathering of musical, visual and cinematographic works by local artists. At the foot of the provincial legislature, a fireworks display will enhance the beauty of the Fountain of Tourny, a $4-million gift to the city by local department store owner Peter Simons. Simons purchased the fountain, which won a gold medal at the 1855 Paris Exposition, from Quebec's sister city, Bordeaux, France, where it had been gathering dust. It has already become one of the city's most impressive new landmarks.

The next day, July 6, everyone is invited to the "Mega-Happening," a massive gathering on the Plains of Abraham for an aerial souvenir photo intended as a legacy for the city's 500th anniversary.

Then, from July 19 to Aug. 6, some of the world's best pyrotechnicians will gather for the International Fireworks Competition at Montmorency Falls, a 10-minute drive from the city, that will embrace the beauty of water and magic of the fireworks.

During a night-long celebration on Aug. 15, a floating dance floor, The Walking Road, will be set up to embrace the bounty of the majestic St. Lawrence River and its contribution to city's settlement.

That will be followed by Celine Dion's gift to the people of Quebec City — a free concert on Aug. 22. Dion is the symbol of international success in Quebec, a driving force in broadening the province's appeal abroad. Fall events Festivities in the fall will appeal to all musical tastes, from a major rock concert being planned for Labour Day weekend to Placido Domingo's world opera contest, Operalia, to be held at the Grand Théâtre de Québec and the newly renovated Palais Montcalm from Sept. 18 to 24.

The famed Cirque du Soleil, which began as a theatre group in Baie-Saint-Paul near Quebec City, is preparing a show, embracing the diversity of cultures, on Oct. 19 for the closing ceremonies of the 400th anniversary, which will coincide with the meeting of la Francophonie. The high-profile gathering of the organization of 55 French-speaking states and governments is an appropriate finale to an anniversary that will have spent almost a year celebrating meetings and encounters.

The ambitious program, however, will require all the organizing skills of the new president to achieve the kind of success Quebec City deserves, and to leave a lasting impression on all those eager to join the party. Rhéal Séguin is The Globe's national correspondent based in Quebec City.