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The Events Calendar

Free & Pro

Display and manage events beautifully with The Events Calendar and BuddyX Pro. Create event listings, calendars, and single event pages with stunning layouts and seamless theme integration.

What You Can Do

With BuddyX Pro's Events Calendar integration, you can:

  • Display Events - Beautiful event listings in list, calendar, and photo views
  • Custom Event Pages - Styled single event pages with venue and organizer details
  • Calendar Views - Month, week, day, and list calendar displays
  • Venue & Organizer Pages - Dedicated pages for venues and event organizers
  • Responsive Design - Perfect display on all devices
  • BuddyPress Integration - Events in activity stream and member profiles
  • Search & Filters - Category, tag, venue, and date filtering
  • Google Maps - Location maps on event pages

Prerequisites

Before setting up The Events Calendar:

Requirement Version Notes
WordPress 6.0+ Latest stable version recommended
BuddyX Pro Theme Active Must be activated
The Events Calendar 5.0+ Free version available
PHP 7.4+ Required by the plugin

Recommended Plugins:

  • Events Calendar PRO - Recurring events, advanced views, more features
  • Community Events - Let members submit events
  • Event Tickets - Sell tickets and manage RSVPs
  • Eventbrite Tickets - Sync with Eventbrite

Installation & Setup

Step 1: Install The Events Calendar

  1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard
  2. Go to Plugins → Add New
  3. Search for "The Events Calendar"
  4. Click Install Now next to The Events Calendar by The Events Calendar
  5. Click Activate after installation completes

Step 2: Run Initial Setup

After activation, the setup assistant appears:

  1. Choose Views

    • Select default view (List, Month, Day, Photo)
    • Recommended: Month View or List View
    • Click Next

  2. Configure Timezone

    • Set your site timezone
    • Choose date/time format
    • Click Next

  3. Set Event Pages

    • Plugin creates default pages
    • Events page (main calendar)
    • Can customize slugs later
    • Click Finish

Step 3: Configure Basic Settings

Go to Events → Settings

General Tab:

Setting Recommendation Why
Number of events per page 12 Good balance for performance
Default view List View or Month View Most user-friendly
Enable live refresh Yes Updates calendar without reload
Google Maps API Key Add your key Required for maps

Display Tab:

Setting Recommendation
Events URL slug events (default)
Single event URL slug event (default)
Venue URL slug venue (default)
Organizer URL slug organizer (default)

After changing slugs:

  1. Go to Settings → Permalinks
  2. Click Save Changes (refreshes permalinks)

BuddyX Pro Integration Features

BuddyX Pro automatically detects The Events Calendar and applies custom styling.

Automatic Template Detection

BuddyX Pro includes custom templates for:

Template Location Purpose
default-template.php tribe/events/v2/ Main wrapper template
event.php tribe/events/v2/list/ Single event in list view
event.php tribe/events/v2/day/ Single event in day view
event.php tribe/events-pro/v2/photo/ Single event in photo view
single-event.php tribe-events/ Single event page

Theme Integration:

  • BuddyX Pro header and footer automatically display
  • Sub-header and breadcrumbs appear
  • Sidebar settings respected
  • Dark mode compatible

Custom Styling

BuddyX Pro includes dedicated Events Calendar stylesheet:

Location: assets/css/eventscalendar.min.css

Styled Elements:

  • Calendar month grid
  • Event list cards
  • Event details boxes
  • Venue and organizer info
  • Search and filter bars
  • Pagination
  • Tooltips and modals

Color Integration:

  • Event colors match theme primary color
  • Hover effects use secondary color
  • Typography inherits theme fonts
  • Responsive spacing

Layout Options

The Events Calendar does not have its own sidebar controls in BuddyX Pro. Event archive, single event, venue, and organizer pages follow the theme's default sidebar setting, and the shipped eventscalendar.min.css handles the styling.

Available Layouts (from the global Sidebar setting):

Layout Description Best For
No Sidebar Maximum content width Calendar views, photo views
Right Sidebar Content + sidebar widgets Event lists with filters
Left Sidebar Sidebar + content Alternative list layout
Both Sidebars Sidebar + content + sidebar Advanced filtering needs

How to Set Layout:

  1. Go to Appearance → Customize → Sidebar
  2. Set the default Sidebar option (Left, Right, Both, or None)
  3. Click Publish

This applies site-wide. To give event pages a different sidebar than the rest of the site, target the Tribe body classes with custom CSS in Appearance → Customize → Additional CSS.

Creating Your First Event

Step 1: Add New Event

  1. Go to Events → Add New
  2. Enter event title (e.g., "Community Meetup")
  3. Add event description in content area

Content Tips:

  • Write engaging event description
  • Include what attendees will learn/experience
  • Add schedule/agenda if applicable
  • Include any prerequisites or requirements

Step 2: Set Event Date & Time

In Event Date Time meta box:

Field Example
Start Date June 15, 2025
Start Time 7:00 PM
End Date June 15, 2025
End Time 9:00 PM
Timezone America/Los_Angeles

Time Options:

  • Check "All Day Event" for full-day events
  • Leave end date/time blank for ongoing events
  • Set timezone for multi-timezone audiences

Step 3: Add Venue Information

In Event Venue meta box:

Create New Venue:

  1. Click "Add New Venue" link
  2. Enter venue name
  3. Add address information:
Field Example
Venue Name Community Center
Address 123 Main Street
City San Francisco
State/Province CA
Zip/Postal Code 94102
Country United States
Phone (555) 123-4567
Website https://communitycenter.com

Or Select Existing Venue:

  • Choose from dropdown
  • Previously created venues appear here

Google Maps:

  • Address automatically generates map
  • Map displays on single event page
  • Requires Google Maps API key

Step 4: Add Organizer Information

In Event Organizer meta box:

Create New Organizer:

  1. Click "Add New Organizer"
  2. Enter organizer details:
Field Example
Organizer Name Tech Community Group
Phone (555) 987-6543
Website https://techgroup.com
Email contact@techgroup.com

Multiple Organizers:

  • Can add multiple organizers per event
  • Useful for co-hosted events

Step 5: Set Featured Image

  1. Click "Set featured image" in sidebar
  2. Upload or select event image
  3. Recommended: 1200×800px (3:2 ratio)
  4. Image appears in:
    • Event list view
    • Photo view
    • Single event page header
    • Calendar tooltips (PRO)

Step 6: Add Event Details

Event Categories:

  • Create categories: Events → Event Categories
  • Examples: Conference, Meetup, Workshop, Webinar
  • Assign in "Event Category" meta box

Event Tags:

  • Add relevant tags
  • Examples: networking, tech, community, free
  • Helps with filtering and search

Cost Information:

  • Add price in "Event Cost" field
  • Enter "Free" for free events
  • Or specific amount: $25, $50, etc.
  • Displays in event listings

Step 7: Publish Event

  1. Review all information
  2. Click Publish button
  3. Event appears on events calendar
  4. View event by clicking "View Event" link

Event Calendar Views

The Events Calendar provides multiple viewing options.

Month View

Shows calendar grid with events:

Features:

  • Full month display
  • Events listed by date
  • Click date to see all events
  • Navigate months with arrows

Best For:

  • Seeing full month at glance
  • Planning around dates
  • Finding date-specific events

Customization:

  • Grid displays 4-6 weeks
  • Today highlighted
  • Past dates grayed out
  • Events show as colored dots/bars

List View

Displays events as list:

Features:

  • Chronological event list
  • Full event details visible
  • Thumbnail images
  • Next/previous navigation

Best For:

  • Detailed event browsing
  • Reading descriptions
  • Mobile viewing
  • Accessibility

Layout in BuddyX Pro:

  • Large event images
  • Clear typography
  • Prominent date/time
  • Venue and category tags

Day View

Shows single day's events:

Features:

  • All events for one day
  • Hour-by-hour layout
  • Time conflicts visible
  • Easy day navigation

Best For:

  • Conference schedules
  • Daily event listings
  • Time-based planning

Photo View (Events Calendar PRO)

Grid of event images:

Features:

  • Masonry image grid
  • Minimal text
  • Hover for details
  • Filter by category

Best For:

  • Visual browsing
  • Event galleries
  • Image-heavy events

Venue & Organizer Pages

Single Venue Pages

Each venue gets dedicated page:

URL Structure: yoursite.com/venue/community-center/

Page Displays:

  • Venue name and description
  • Full address
  • Google Map
  • Phone and website
  • All events at this venue

Customization:

  • Add venue description
  • Upload venue photo
  • Include directions/parking info

Single Organizer Pages

Each organizer gets dedicated page:

URL Structure: yoursite.com/organizer/tech-community-group/

Page Displays:

  • Organizer name and bio
  • Contact information
  • Website and social links
  • All events by this organizer

Use Cases:

  • Multiple event hosts
  • Business/organization profiles
  • Speaker/instructor pages

Managing Venues & Organizers

Edit Existing:

  1. Go to Events → Venues or Events → Organizers
  2. Find item in list
  3. Click Edit
  4. Update information
  5. Click Update

Delete:

  • Events using deleted venues/organizers show "N/A"
  • Reassign events before deleting

Search & Filtering

Event Search Bar

Built-in search on events page:

Search By:

  • Event title
  • Description content
  • Venue name
  • Organizer name

Location:

  • Appears above event listings
  • Sticky on scroll (optional)

Category Filtering

Filter events by category:

Setup:

  1. Create categories: Events → Event Categories
  2. Assign to events
  3. Filter bar appears automatically

Filter Display:

  • Dropdown menu (default)
  • Or horizontal tag list (PRO)

Date Range Filtering (PRO)

Advanced date filtering:

Options:

  • Custom date range picker
  • "This Week" shortcut
  • "This Month" shortcut
  • "Next 3 Months" shortcut

Location Filtering (PRO)

Search by location:

Options:

  • City
  • State/Province
  • Country
  • Radius search (within X miles)

Recurring Events (Events Calendar PRO)

Create repeating events with PRO version.

Creating Recurring Event

  1. Create new event
  2. Check "This is a recurring event"
  3. Choose recurrence pattern:

Recurrence Options:

Pattern Example
Daily Every day, every 2 days
Weekly Every Monday, Every Mon/Wed/Fri
Monthly First Tuesday of month, 15th of month
Yearly Same date each year

End Options:

  • Never (continues indefinitely)
  • After X occurrences
  • On specific date

Managing Recurring Events

Edit Recurring Series:

  • Changes apply to all future instances
  • Past instances unchanged

Edit Single Instance:

  • Click single event
  • Choose "Edit this occurrence"
  • Changes apply only to that date

Delete Recurring Events:

  • Delete all: Removes entire series
  • Delete single: Removes one instance

Community Events (Add-on)

Let members submit events with Community Events add-on.

Setup Community Events

  1. Install Community Events add-on (premium)
  2. Go to Events → Settings → Community
  3. Configure submission settings:

Submission Settings:

Setting Options
Allow submissions Yes
Require login Yes (recommended)
Submission page Choose page with shortcode
Moderation Approve manually or auto-publish

User Roles:

  • Set which roles can submit
  • Default: Subscribers and above

Submission Form

Create submission page:

  1. Create new page: "Submit Event"
  2. Add shortcode: [tribe_community_events]
  3. Form displays on page

Form Fields:

  • Event title
  • Description
  • Date/time
  • Venue (can create new)
  • Organizer (can create new)
  • Featured image
  • Categories

Member Experience:

  1. Member visits submission page
  2. Fills out event form
  3. Submits event
  4. Admin receives notification
  5. Admin approves or edits
  6. Event appears on calendar

Event Tickets & RSVPs

Manage attendance with Event Tickets plugin.

Free Tickets/RSVPs

Built-in RSVP system:

  1. Edit event
  2. Scroll to Tickets meta box
  3. Click Add RSVP
  4. Configure RSVP:
Setting Example
Name Free Registration
Description Secure your spot
Capacity 50
Start sale Immediately
End sale Day before event

RSVP Features:

  • Track attendees
  • Set capacity limits
  • Require login
  • Send confirmations
  • Export attendee list

Paid Tickets (Event Tickets Plus)

Sell tickets with Event Tickets Plus:

Ticket Types:

  • Regular admission
  • VIP tickets
  • Early bird pricing
  • Group discounts

Payment Options:

  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • WooCommerce integration

Features:

  • Automated confirmations
  • QR code tickets
  • Check-in app
  • Attendee reports

BuddyPress Integration

Display events in your BuddyPress community.

Events in Activity Stream

Show event posts in activity feed:

Requires: BuddyPress and Events Calendar PRO

Setup:

  1. Create new event
  2. Check "Post event to activity stream"
  3. Event appears in activity feed
  4. Members can like/comment

Activity Content:

  • Event title and excerpt
  • Featured image thumbnail
  • Date/time
  • Link to full event

Member Event Lists

Show member's events on profile:

Display Options:

  • Events attending (RSVPs)
  • Events created (organizer)
  • Past events attended

Implementation: Add to profile page:

[tribe_events view="list" author="current"]

Shows events by profile member.

Group Events

Associate events with BuddyPress groups:

Method 1: Event Category

  • Create category per group
  • Tag events with group category
  • Display category on group page

Method 2: Custom Field

  • Add group selector field
  • Filter events by group
  • Display on group page

Customization Options

Calendar Widget

Add calendar to sidebar:

  1. Go to Appearance → Widgets
  2. Add Events Calendar widget
  3. Configure:
Setting Options
Title Upcoming Events
Number to show 5-10
Display List or Calendar

Widget Displays:

  • Upcoming events
  • Mini calendar
  • Links to event pages

Event List Widget

Show filtered event list:

Options:

  • By category
  • By venue
  • By organizer
  • Date range

Usage:

  • Homepage sidebar
  • Event category pages
  • Venue/organizer pages

Calendar Shortcodes

Display events anywhere:

Basic Calendar:

[tribe_events view="list"]

Filtered List:

[tribe_events view="list" category="meetup" posts_per_page="5"]

Month Calendar:

[tribe_events view="month"]

By Venue:

[tribe_events venue="community-center"]

Recommended Configurations

Conference Website

Best Settings:

  • View: Day View (schedule)
  • Enable recurring events (PRO)
  • Multiple tracks (categories)
  • Venue: Conference center
  • Tickets: Paid registration

Features to Enable:

  • Attendee list
  • Session filtering
  • Speaker (organizer) pages
  • Schedule export

Community Calendar

Best Settings:

  • View: Month View (overview)
  • Community Events (member submissions)
  • Multiple venues
  • Free RSVPs
  • Category filters

Features:

  • Member event submission
  • BuddyPress activity integration
  • Simple RSVP system
  • Email reminders

Venue/Location Site

Best Settings:

  • View: List View
  • Location filtering
  • Map display
  • Venue pages prominent
  • Search by location

Features:

  • Radius search
  • Multiple venues
  • Detailed venue info
  • Directions/parking

Training/Workshop Platform

Best Settings:

  • View: List View
  • Category: Workshop types
  • Recurring events
  • Capacity limits
  • Paid tickets

Features:

  • Registration management
  • Attendee export
  • Email confirmations
  • Certificate delivery

Common Questions

How do I change the events page URL?

  1. Go to Events → Settings → Display
  2. Change "Events URL slug" (default: events)
  3. Click Save Settings
  4. Go to Settings → Permalinks
  5. Click Save Changes

Your events page URL updates to yoursite.com/your-slug/

Can I hide past events?

Yes, by default past events don't show. To display:

  1. Go to Events → Settings → Display
  2. Check "Show past events"
  3. Set how many months to show

Or hide completely: Leave unchecked.

How do I display events on my homepage?

Method 1: Shortcode Add to homepage:

[tribe_events view="list" posts_per_page="6"]

Method 2: Widget Add Events List widget to homepage widget area.

Method 3: Block Use Events block in Gutenberg editor.

Why don't maps show on event pages?

Cause: Missing Google Maps API key

Solution:

  1. Get API key: Google Maps Platform
  2. Go to Events → Settings → General
  3. Enter API key in "Google Maps API Key" field
  4. Save settings

Maps appear on single event pages.

Can I show events in a specific category only?

Yes, using shortcode:

[tribe_events view="list" category="workshops"]

Or create dedicated page per category.

How do I style the calendar colors?

BuddyX Pro Method:

  1. Go to Appearance → Customize → Colors & Skin
  2. Change primary/secondary colors
  3. Calendar colors update automatically

Custom CSS Method: Add to Customizer → Additional CSS:

.tribe-events-calendar td.tribe-events-present div[id*="tribe-events-daynum-"],
.tribe-events-calendar td.tribe-events-present div[id*="tribe-events-daynum-"] a {
  background-color: #your-color;
}

Can members create their own events?

Yes, with Community Events add-on (premium):

  1. Install Community Events
  2. Create submission page with shortcode
  3. Set approval workflow
  4. Members submit events from frontend

How do I export my events?

CSV Export:

  1. Go to Events
  2. Select events to export
  3. Choose "Export" from bulk actions
  4. CSV file downloads

iCal Export: Each event has iCal link for calendar apps.

Performance Tips

For large event calendars:

  1. Limit Events Per Page

    • Set to 12-20 events
    • Use pagination
    • Don't load all events at once

  2. Optimize Images

    • Compress featured images
    • Use 1200×800px maximum
    • Enable lazy loading

  3. Use Caching

    • Install caching plugin
    • Cache calendar pages
    • Don't cache event detail pages

  4. Database Cleanup

    • Delete old events regularly
    • Or set auto-deletion for past events
    • Archive old venues/organizers

Related Settings

Got a question? We're a friendly team - happy to help.

Documentation: docs.wbcomdesigns.com Events Calendar Docs: eventscalendarpro.com/support Support Forum: wbcomdesigns.com/support

Email Support: support@wbcomdesigns.com

Include: BuddyX Pro version, The Events Calendar version, and screenshots of your calendar.