By Editorial Staff | Reviewed by Syed Balkhi | October 11, 2024 | Reader Disclosure
Scheduling recurring events on your WordPress website is an excellent method to conserve time and automate your tasks. This strategy allows you to manage your events efficiently, eliminating the need to create them over and over again. Instead, you can input an event once, and it will automatically repeat at the specified date and time.
Since WordPress lacks a built-in feature for recurring events, you’ll need to utilize a calendar plugin to achieve this functionality. With numerous options available, choosing the right one for your website can pose a challenge.
To assist you, we have tested and evaluated some of the most widely used WordPress calendar plugins. Our research indicates that Sugar Calendar is the most user-friendly option. It is easy to navigate and includes a range of robust features.
In this article, we will guide you through the process of creating and managing recurring events in WordPress.
If you are operating a WordPress site for a community center, a church, a fitness studio, or any other kind of organization, having an efficient method to schedule and promote recurring events can greatly enhance your operations.
This is due to the fact that automating the scheduling and updates of events can lead to increased efficiency. This allows you to dedicate more time to other important tasks, thus facilitating the growth of your business.
By scheduling your events to occur at consistent intervals, you also ensure a more dependable experience for your attendees.
Consider a theater that hosts a performance every week. Setting up a recurring event for this play can ensure that it remains consistent, allowing for a smooth operation each week.
Displaying recurring events is also beneficial for maintaining a well-organized event calendar, which helps visitors easily locate the information they require. You only need to create the event once, and it will automatically repeat in the calendar.
Furthermore, promoting these recurring events can motivate people to return and help cultivate a dedicated audience. Additionally, regularly marketing these events can help you create a steady online presence across various platforms.
With that in mind, let’s explore how to set up recurring events on your WordPress site. Here are the steps we’ll cover in this guide:
The simplest method to incorporate a calendar into your website and set up a recurring event in WordPress is by utilizing Sugar Calendar.
This plugin is the top choice among WordPress calendar plugins and offers a user-friendly experience. It provides numerous customization options and enables the creation of multiple calendars. Furthermore, the plugin can connect with Google Calendar. For more details about its features, be sure to check out our comprehensive review of Sugar Calendar.
In this tutorial, we will utilize the Sugar Calendar Pro version as it contains specific functionalities for generating recurring events within WordPress.
Note: A free version, Sugar Calendar Lite, is also available, allowing you to set up one-time events and calendars.
To get started, you must install and activate the Sugar Calendar plugin. For further information, refer to our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
After the plugin is activated, navigate to Calendar » Settings in your WordPress dashboard and input your license key.
This key can be located in the Sugar Calendar account area. Once you’ve entered the key, click the ‘Verify Key’ button.
Next, it’s essential to create a calendar for your site. Sugar Calendar automatically includes a default calendar, but you have the option to create a new one to organize your recurring events separately if desired.
To begin, navigate to Sugar Calendar » Calendars from the WordPress dashboard and select the ‘+ Add Calendar’ button.
In the following screen, you will be required to input details for your calendar.
Start by providing a name at the top, modifying the slug, including a description, selecting a parent calendar, and picking a color.
Once you have finished, just click the ‘Add New Calendar’ button at the bottom.
With your calendar prepared, the next step involves establishing a recurring event for your website.
Head over to the Sugar Calendar section and select the ‘+ Add New Event’ button.
On the subsequent page, begin by filling in the event name at the top. After that, you can provide the specifics of your new event in the ‘Duration’ tab.
In this section, you will be required to define the start and end dates and times for the event. Additionally, there is an option to add the ‘Details’ of your recurring event below this setting.
Once you are prepared, navigate to the ‘Recurrence’ tab. Initially, the ‘Repeat’ option is configured to ‘Never,’ but you have the flexibility to modify this setting.
Click on the ‘Repeat’ dropdown menu to choose how often you want the event to take place—options include daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. Additionally, you have the ability to specify the number of times the event should repeat, the specific days it should occur, and the end date for the recurrence.
Moreover, you can provide a location and a link for your event. Sugar Calendar also offers the functionality to set up tickets for events, which can be sold online.
After completing all the event information, choose your desired calendar from the panel on the right side. Finally, just click the ‘Publish’ button to finalize everything.
Next, you’ll want to incorporate the new recurring events calendar into a post or page on your website.
Begin by navigating to your WordPress dashboard to either edit an existing post or create a new one. Within the content editor, click on the ‘+’ icon to insert the ‘Events Calendar’ block.
Your calendar will now be displayed in the content editor. Take a moment to review its appearance, and then proceed to publish or update your page.
Finally, head over to your website to observe the recurring events calendar in action.
Here are some extra resources that can assist you in organizing and managing events and calendars on your WordPress site:
We trust this article has equipped you with the knowledge to create and display a recurring event in WordPress. You might also find value in our guide on how to host a virtual event in WordPress, along with our expert selection of the best WordPress event ticketing plugins.
If you enjoyed this article, consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also connect with us on Twitter and join our community on Facebook.
Syed Balkhi
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Jiří Vaněk
I have created a website for my wife that features an integrated Google Calendar, where we manually input every event, regardless of whether they repeat. I have been contemplating automating certain aspects for quite some time; however, Google Calendar hasn’t provided the flexibility I imagined. I discovered Sugar Calendar through older articles, and this plugin truly piqued my interest. After reviewing this article, I’m convinced that transitioning from Google Calendar to a more user-friendly option is the way to go.
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