A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Recurring Events in WordPress
By WordPress Experts |
Implementing recurring events on your WordPress website offers significant time savings and automation benefits. This approach eliminates the need to manually recreate events, allowing you to establish a schedule once and have it automatically repeat according to your specified dates and times.
Since WordPress doesn't include built-in functionality for recurring events, you'll need to utilize a calendar plugin. With numerous options available, selecting the right solution can be challenging.
After evaluating several popular calendar plugins, many experienced developers recommend Sugar Calendar for its straightforward interface and robust feature set.
This guide will walk you through the process of establishing and displaying recurring events on your WordPress site.
Benefits of Implementing Recurring Events in WordPress
Whether managing a community center website, church platform, fitness studio portal, or business site, establishing an efficient system for scheduling and promoting recurring events can substantially enhance operational efficiency.
Automating event scheduling and updates reduces manual workload, freeing time for other business development activities.
Scheduling events at regular intervals also provides visitors with a more consistent and reliable experience.
For instance, a weekly theater performance benefits from recurring event scheduling, ensuring consistent presentation and smooth operation.
Displaying recurring events maintains an organized calendar structure, making information easily accessible to visitors. You only need to create the event once, and it will automatically populate across your calendar.
Promoting recurring events encourages repeat attendance and helps build a dedicated following. Additionally, consistent marketing of recurring events establishes a steady online presence across various platforms.
Now let's examine the practical steps for creating recurring events on your WordPress site. This guide covers the following procedures:
Establish an Events Calendar in WordPress
The most efficient method for adding a calendar and creating recurring events involves using Sugar Calendar.
This plugin provides extensive customization capabilities, supports multiple calendars, and offers Google Calendar synchronization. Many WordPress professionals consider it among the most user-friendly calendar solutions available.
This tutorial utilizes the Pro version of Sugar Calendar, which includes specific features for recurring event management.
Begin by installing and activating the Sugar Calendar plugin on your WordPress site.
After activation, navigate to Calendar » Settings from your WordPress dashboard and input your license key.
Locate your license key in your Sugar Calendar account area. After entering the key, click the 'Verify Key' button.
Next, create a calendar for your site. While Sugar Calendar includes a default calendar, you may want to create a separate calendar specifically for recurring events.
Navigate to Sugar Calendar » Calendars from your WordPress dashboard and select the '+ Add Calendar' button.
On the subsequent screen, provide details for your calendar.
Enter a name at the top, modify the slug if desired, include a description, select a parent calendar if applicable, and choose a color scheme.
When finished, click the 'Add New Calendar' button at the bottom of the screen.
Create Recurring Events in WordPress
With your calendar established, proceed to create recurring events for your site.
Navigate to the Sugar Calendar » Events page and select the '+ Add New Event' button.
On the event creation screen, begin by entering an event name at the top. Then, navigate to the 'Duration' tab to specify event details.
Set the start and end dates and times for your event. Below these fields, you'll find an area to enter detailed information about your recurring event.
Next, switch to the 'Recurrence' tab. By default, the 'Repeat' option is set to 'Never,' but you can adjust this setting.
Click the 'Repeat' dropdown menu and select your preferred recurrence pattern: daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. You can also specify how many times the event should repeat, which days it should occur on, and when it should conclude.
Additionally, you can include location information and links for your event. Sugar Calendar also provides functionality for setting up and selling event tickets online.
After entering all event details, select your preferred calendar from the right-hand panel. Then, click the 'Publish' button.
Finally, add your recurring events calendar to a post or page on your website.
From your WordPress dashboard, edit or create a new post or page. Within the content editor, click the '+' icon and add the 'Events Calendar' block.
Your calendar will now appear in the content editor. Preview its appearance, then publish or update your page.
Visit your website to view the recurring events calendar functioning on your live site.
