A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an Event Calendar in WordPress

Introduction

Are you looking for a way to display your upcoming events on your WordPress website? Adding an event calendar can be the perfect solution! An attractive event calendar can inform your audience about both in-person and virtual events, increase attendance, and boost engagement. In this article, we will guide you through the process of creating a simple event calendar in WordPress using Sugar Calendar, the leading WordPress calendar plugin.

The Advantages of Using a Calendar on Your Website

Integrating a calendar into your website offers numerous benefits. It allows your visitors to stay updated on upcoming webinars, virtual retreats, workshops, and other events. This convenience enables them to plan their schedules accordingly, increasing the likelihood of attendance. Additionally, if you have a membership site or a forum, you can even accept user-submitted events, fostering a sense of community and ensuring your calendar remains up-to-date.

Step 1: Installing and Activating Sugar Calendar

To get started, you need to install and activate the Sugar Calendar plugin on your WordPress website. Follow these steps:

1. Go to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Click on “Plugins” and then “Add New”.
3. Type “Sugar Calendar” in the search bar and hit enter.
4. Locate the Sugar Calendar plugin, click on “Install Now”, and then “Activate”.

Once the plugin is activated, go to the Calendar » Settings page. Here, you will need to enter your license key, which can be found in your Sugar Calendar account or the purchase email. Click on the “Verify” button to validate your license key, and then click on “Save Changes” to save your settings.

Step 2: Creating a New Calendar

With Sugar Calendar activated, you can proceed to create your event calendar. Follow these simple steps:

1. Go to the Calendar » Calendar page in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Click on the “Add Calendar” button.
3. In the popup window, provide a descriptive name for your calendar in the “Name” field. This will help your visitors find the correct calendar, especially if you have multiple calendars.
4. You can also organize your calendars into parent-child relationships using the “Parent” dropdown.
5. Add an optional description for your calendar, which may appear on your website depending on your WordPress theme.
6. Choose a color to distinguish and group related calendars together.
7. Finally, click on “Add New Calendar” to create your first Sugar Calendar. Repeat these steps to create multiple calendars.

Step 3: Adding Events to Sugar Calendar

Now that your calendars are set up, it’s time to start adding events. Follow these steps:

1. Go to the “Events” tab in your WordPress dashboard and click on the “Add Event” button.
2. Enter all the details about your event, such as the date, time, duration, and recurrence.
3. You can also include a location and provide additional information in the event details box using the WordPress content editor.
4. To make your events more engaging and shareable on social media, consider adding a featured image.
5. In the “Calendars” section, choose the calendar where you want to add the event or create a new calendar.
6. Once you’ve entered all the event information, click on the “Publish” button to save your event. Repeat this process to add more events to your calendar.

Step 4: Displaying the Events Calendar on Your Website

Now that you’ve created your event calendar, it’s time to display it on your WordPress website. Here are two options:

Option 1: Using a Shortcode

To display your event calendar on a specific page or post, use a shortcode. Simply add the shortcode [sc_events_calendar] to the desired location. Visitors can switch between different calendars using a dropdown menu if you have multiple calendars.

If you want to display events from a specific calendar, use the shortcode [sc_events_calendar category=”calendar-name”], replacing “calendar-name” with the actual name of your calendar. Don’t forget to publish or update the page to make the calendar live on your website.

Option 2: Using the Sugar Calendar Widget

If your WordPress theme supports widgets, you can add the Sugar Calendar widget to any widget-ready area of your site. Follow these steps:

1. Go to Appearance » Widgets in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Search for “Sugar Calendar” and drag the “Event Calendar” widget to your desired widget area.
3. Customize the settings according to your preferences.
4. Click on “Update” to display the widget on your site.

Step 5: Embedding Facebook Events on Your Website

If you also publish events on Facebook, you can embed your Facebook events calendar on your WordPress website using the Custom Facebook Feed Pro plugin. This plugin automatically fetches your latest events from Facebook, saving you time and effort. Follow these steps:

1. Install and activate the Custom Facebook Feed Pro plugin on your WordPress website.
2. Create an event feed using the plugin.
3. Customize the appearance of your feed using the user-friendly editor to match your WordPress theme.
4. Copy the generated shortcode.
5. Paste the shortcode on any page or post where you want to display your Facebook events calendar.

That’s it! By following these steps, you can easily create an impressive event calendar using the Sugar Calendar plugin in WordPress. A well-organized calendar will help you promote your events, encourage attendance, and increase your brand’s visibility. For more helpful WordPress tips and tutorials, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Conclusion

In conclusion, having an event calendar on your WordPress website is a valuable tool for keeping your audience informed and engaged. By using the Sugar Calendar plugin, you can easily create and manage your event calendar, ensuring that your upcoming events are effectively showcased. With the ability to display events from multiple calendars and integrate Facebook events, you have the flexibility to meet all your event promotion needs. So, go ahead and create your event calendar today to enjoy the benefits it brings to your website and business!