The Events Calendar is the most popular WordPress calendar plugin, powering over 800,000 sites. It lets you create events with built-in venue and organizer management, display them in month, day, list, and photo views, and include Google Maps integration. The free version is feature-rich, and the Pro version adds recurring events, additional views, shortcodes, custom event fields, and a duplicate event tool. Events can be imported via CSV, and the Event Aggregator add-on supports automatic imports from Google Calendar, Meetup, and Eventbrite. The plugin includes JSON-LD structured data for SEO. The Pro version integrates with eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce for ticket sales via Event Tickets Plus, making it a complete solution for paid events.
Competitive Features
- Multiple calendar views — month, day, list, week, photo, and map views with AJAX navigation
- Recurring events (Pro) — create daily, weekly, monthly, and custom recurring event patterns with exclusions
- Venue and organizer management — store venue details with Google Maps, and manage organizers per event
- Event ticketing — sell tickets via PayPal with Event Tickets, or WooCommerce with Event Tickets Plus
- CSV import — bulk import events from CSV files with column mapping
- Event Aggregator — import events automatically from Google Calendar, Meetup, Eventbrite, and iCalendar feeds
- Filter Bar (add-on) — add frontend filtering by category, tag, venue, organizer, date range, and cost
- Community Events (add-on) — allow frontend event submissions from visitors with moderation control
Key Features
- JSON-LD structured data — events are marked up with schema.org structured data for rich search results
- Google Maps integration — venues display embedded Google Maps with directions links
- Widgets — upcoming events list widget with customizable display options
- Event categories and tags — organize events with custom taxonomies, filterable on frontend
- Shortcodes (Pro) — embed calendar views in any page or post with shortcode parameters
- Custom event fields (Pro) — add additional fields to events using the Events Calendar Pro settings
- iCal and Google Calendar export — visitors can add events to their personal calendars
- REST API — full WP REST API endpoints for events, venues, and organizers
Comparison with Competitors
The Events Calendar Pro vs Modern Events Calendar Pro
| Feature | The Events Calendar Pro | Modern Events Calendar Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar views | Month, Day, List, Week, Photo, Map | Month, Day, List, Week, Tile, Grid, Timeline |
| Recurring events | Yes | Yes |
| Ticketing | PayPal + WooCommerce | Built-in |
| Venue management | Yes | Yes |
| Frontend submissions | Community Events (add-on) | Built-in |
| Import sources | Google Calendar, Meetup, Eventbrite, CSV | CSV, Google Calendar |
| REST API | Yes | Yes |
The Events Calendar Pro vs WP Event Manager Pro
| Feature | The Events Calendar Pro | WP Event Manager Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend event submission | Add-on | Built-in |
| Calendar views | 6 views | 4 views |
| Ticketing | Via Event Tickets Plus | Via add-ons |
| Recurring events | Yes | Yes |
| Google Maps | Built-in | Built-in |
| CSV import | Built-in | Yes |
| Paid ticket sales | PayPal, WooCommerce | Various gateways |
Recommended Stack — pair The Events Calendar Pro with WooCommerce Memberships for recurring ticket sales to membership events and series.
Official Changelog
Version 6.17.4.1
Release Date: September 10, 2026
- Security: Strengthened validation of copied widget instances.
Version 6.17.4
Release Date: September 3, 2026
- Fix: Resolved an issue where the Day View direct URL omitted recurring event occurrences because an earlier query on the same repository froze the custom tables date redirection.
- Fix: Fixed a fatal error when reading an event’s venues or organizers on sites running a persistent object cache, caused by a cached lazy collection losing the callback it needs to hydrate.
- Language: 100 updated strings.
Version 6.17.3.1
Release Date: August 26, 2026
- Security: Hardened capability checks on REST API archive endpoints.
- Security: Hardened validation of copied widget instance data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between The Events Calendar and Events Calendar Pro?
The free version includes month, day, and list views with venue and organizer management. The Pro version adds recurring events, week and photo views, shortcodes, custom event fields, duplicate event tool, and premium support.
Can I sell tickets to events?
Yes, the free Event Tickets plugin adds PayPal ticket sales. Event Tickets Plus integrates with WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads for more payment options.
Can I import events from other calendars?
Yes, the free version includes CSV import. The Event Aggregator add-on adds automatic imports from Google Calendar, Meetup, Eventbrite, and iCalendar feeds.
Does The Events Calendar support recurring events?
Yes, the Pro version supports daily, weekly, monthly, and custom recurrence patterns with the ability to exclude specific dates.
Is The Events Calendar compatible with WordPress 7.0?
Yes, the latest version is fully compatible with WordPress 7.0 and includes updated styling and block editor support.
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