How do I update events or the calendar on my site?

How do I add an event to my calendar?

1. Log in to your site. If you can’t get in, see how to log in or reset your website password. You should land on the WordPress dashboard.
2. Start a new event. In the left menu, go to Events, then Add New. You can also use New, then Event in the bar along the top. A blank event screen opens.
3. Add the title and description. Use a clear name, such as “Spring open house.” Put the key details in the first lines of the description: what it is, who it’s for, and how to sign up.
4. Set the date and time. In the event details below the description, set the Start and End dates and times. If the event runs all day, tick All Day Event, which hides the time fields.
5. Add the venue and organizer (optional). Pick a saved venue from the list, or type a new name and choose Create to add its address. Organizers work the same way.
6. Add a cost and website link (optional). Enter 0 for a free event, or leave the cost blank to hide it.
7. Pick a category. Event categories are a separate list from blog categories, even when the names match. Choosing the right one matters if your site shows filtered calendars.
8. Publish. Select Publish. Then open your calendar page and find the event on its date.

Your site may use the block editor or the classic editor for events. The fields are the same; only the layout differs.

The exact screens depend on which calendar plugin your site uses. These steps follow the documentation for The Events Calendar, one of the most widely used. Other calendar plugins follow a similar pattern.

The short version

• Go to Events, then Add New, and fill in the title, dates, venue and category.
• Publish, then check the calendar page. To change an event, edit the one you have.

How do I change, postpone or cancel an event?

1. Go to Events and find the event in the list. Hover over it and select Edit.
2. Change the date, time or details, then save.
3. If it’s off, use Event Status in the right-hand sidebar. You can set it to Canceled or Postponed and add a short reason.

Marking an event canceled is kinder than deleting it. People who saved the link, or found it in Google, see a clear message instead of a “page not found.”

Why does this matter?

An out-of-date calendar costs trust fast. Someone who drives to an event that moved, or finds last year’s dates, may not come back. Search engines and AI tools also read event pages, so a wrong date can spread beyond your own site.

What are the common mistakes and edge cases?

• Wrong time of day. A typo in AM or PM is easy to miss. Read the event back on the live calendar.
• Wrong category. If your home page shows only “Featured” or one category, an event in another category won’t appear there.
• Past events cluttering the page. Most calendars hide finished events from the upcoming list on their own. If yours doesn’t, ask whoever manages the site.
• Repeating events. Weekly classes or monthly meetings are handled differently by each plugin. Some repeat an event for you; others need a separate entry each time.
• Images. Add one photo at a sensible size. A huge phone photo slows the calendar page down.

Can our Outlook calendar post to the website by itself?

A live link between an office calendar and a public website can be set up, but it needs care. Everything on the office calendar would become public unless it’s filtered. Talk to us before you try it, so private entries stay private.

What if the whole calendar stopped showing?

When the calendar page is blank, half-drawn or shows no events at all, it’s usually one of three things:

• A plugin update. Calendar plugins change often, and an update can clash with your theme or page builder. If it broke right after an update, that’s the first suspect. Don’t keep re-saving events; report it.
• An embedded Google Calendar that isn’t public. Google’s guide to adding a calendar to your website notes that a calendar is visible only to people you share it with, so visitors see nothing until it’s made public. You can do that under Access permissions for events, as Google’s public calendar guide shows. Making it public shows every event on it, so move private ones to another calendar first.
• A saved copy of the page. Your site may be showing an older version. See why a change isn’t showing.

If you combine several calendars into one feed, an event added to the wrong calendar won’t appear. Check which calendar it’s on.

What if this didn’t work?

• There’s no Events menu. Your site may use a different calendar tool, or your user role may not allow it. Ask the site’s administrator.
• The event saved but isn’t on the calendar. Check it was published, not saved as a draft. Then check the date and category. A cached copy of the page can also lag behind; try a private browser window.
• The calendar page looks broken after an update. Don’t keep editing. Tell your web team what changed, and see what to do when a page looks broken.

How does E-3 handle this?

If you’d rather we add events for you, send the event name, date, start and end times, venue, a short description and any sign-up link. A person at E-3 adds it. Bigger changes, such as a new calendar layout or online sign-up, are tested on a staging copy first. See setting up event registration.

Call 814-399-4655 or email support@e3help.me. Replies usually come within one business day.

Related questions

• How do I add a blog post or news item?
• Can you set up online registration for my event?
• How do I review and approve a preview?