Recurring events in the free The Events Calendar: what works without Pro

2026-11-08

The Events Calendar's WordPress.org page describes Events Calendar Pro as the add-on for adding premium calendar features like recurring events. You can still run a repeating series for free in three ways. You can enter each date as its own event. You can list the dates in a spreadsheet and load them with the plugin's built-in CSV import tool. Or, for weekly events, you can use RecurKit, a free plugin we make, which creates the rest of the series from one event. This guide covers each option, what it costs you in time, and what Pro adds if you decide to upgrade.

What the free plugin includes, and where recurring events live

The Events Calendar's WordPress.org page asks: "Looking for additional features like recurring events, ticket sales, user-submitted events, automatic imports, and more?" The same page describes Events Calendar Pro as an add-on for adding premium calendar features like recurring events, advanced views and cool widgets. It also says Pro runs alongside The Events Calendar and enhances it with extra features, and it lists a duplicate event tool among them.

The free plugin has a built-in CSV import tool, and the spreadsheet method below uses it.

Compare the options

Enter each date as its own event

For a series of a few dates, creating each event by hand is often quickest. To cut down on retyping:

• Save the venue and the organizer once. The Events Calendar's import guide describes saved organizers and saved venues that can be associated with events.
• Write the description once in a text file and paste it into each event, so every date says the same thing.
• Give each event a title that says it belongs to the series, so visitors can tell the dates are linked.
• When the series changes (a new room, a new time), keep a list of the events you created so you know which ones to edit.

The downside is upkeep: when something changes, you edit each event yourself.

Build the series in a spreadsheet and import it

With the free plugin's built-in CSV import tool, you list the dates in a spreadsheet, one row per date, and import the file. This works well for irregular dates, such as a class that skips school holidays, because you write down exactly the dates you want.

The Events Calendar's import guide gives recommended column headings for your files. Here is an example header row; compare it with the guide's recommended headings before you import:

Event Name,Event Start Date,Event Start Time,Event End Date,Event End Time,Event Venue Name,Event Organizers,Event Category

Then follow the import steps:

• Import the venues and organizers first if they don't exist yet, because the event importer matches venues and organizers by exact name. The guide says the venue value must exactly match the Venue Name of an existing venue.
• Open the import screen. The first field on the screen asks you to identify the source of your import; pick your CSV file.
• Upload your file. The guide notes that the file is saved to the WordPress Media Library and remains available for future use.
• Generate the preview. It shows a portion of your CSV data in table format with column headings and dropdown fields. Map each column in your CSV to the corresponding content field in The Events Calendar.
• Check your mapping, then run the import.

Watch the dates. The guide warns that some date formats are ambiguous, so write every date in a year-month-day order and check a few rows in the preview before importing. If you list several categories in the category column, separate them with commas.

The guide also lists when an import updates an existing event: the event title is identical, the start date and time are exactly the same, and the end date and time are exactly the same. These conditions ensure that only genuinely identical events are updated. A row with a changed date or title won't update the old event, so check your calendar for the old copy and delete it yourself.

Use RecurKit for weekly series

If your events repeat every week, such as a Tuesday service, a Thursday club night or a yoga class on two weekdays, RecurKit is one free option. It's an independent plugin by Bright Labs that works with the free The Events Calendar. It isn't made by or connected to The Events Calendar's developers. It's in beta and listed on WordPress.org, so you can install it from Plugins > Add New Plugin by searching for RecurKit.

• In the event editor, tick Repeat this event, pick the weekdays and set when the series ends. When you publish, RecurKit creates up to 52 occurrences.
• Each occurrence is a normal event with the same times, venue, organizers, categories, tags and image, created through The Events Calendar's own functions. They show in every calendar view.
• Under Events > Series you can change the title, times, venue or description of one occurrence and every later one. You can also edit a single date in the normal editor, or delete the whole series.
• If you remove RecurKit, the generated events stay as ordinary events unless you choose to delete them. The events you created yourself always stay.

RecurKit Free covers weekly repeats only. Its paid Pro plan, at $9/month per site, adds monthly rules such as the 2nd Tuesday or the 15th, custom date lists, skip dates for holidays, shifting a whole series to a new time, and series of up to 200 occurrences. Version 0.1.0 passes 92 unit tests and 41 end-to-end checks in WordPress Playground on WordPress 7.1.4 with the free The Events Calendar 6.18.3.1.

What Events Calendar Pro adds if you upgrade

The documentation calls recurring events one of the most popular features of Events Calendar Pro. In the block editor, you click Repeat this Event to open the recurrence options, then choose Daily, Weekly, Monthly or Yearly. The product page says Pro lets you set recurring events up once so nothing needs manual re-entry, and that monthly, weekly and custom recurring events take the busywork out of calendar management.

The documentation also lists some limits. Creating tickets for recurring events isn't currently supported. You can only add one pattern-based rule per event. It also warns that performance issues may arise if recurring events are set to extend far into the future. The documentation also describes Series: a Series can group and manage any number of single or recurring events. Check current pricing before you buy.

Which option to choose

• Only a few dates, and they rarely change: enter them by hand.
• Dates with no fixed pattern, or a one-time batch for a term or season: use the CSV import.
• A weekly pattern you want to set once and edit as a group, without paying: try RecurKit Free.
• You need daily, monthly or yearly recurrence in the block editor, plus Pro's other features: consider Events Calendar Pro.

Whichever you choose, back up your site before you create or import a long series. Then look at the calendar on the front end to confirm each date shows where you expect.

Sources

• The Events Calendar plugin page and FAQ on WordPress.org
• RecurKit on WordPress.org
• Events Calendar Pro product page
• Creating Recurring Events (The Events Calendar documentation)
• Importing events from a CSV file (The Events Calendar documentation)

Questions

Does the free The Events Calendar have recurring events?

The Events Calendar's WordPress.org page describes Events Calendar Pro as the add-on for adding premium calendar features like recurring events. Without Pro, you can enter each date as an event, import the dates with the built-in CSV import tool, or use RecurKit, our free plugin, for weekly series.

Can I import a whole series with the free version?

Yes. The free plugin has a built-in CSV import tool. Put one row per date in a spreadsheet, map each column to the corresponding content field in the preview, and import. Import venues and organizers first, because the event importer matches venues and organizers by exact name.

Will re-importing my CSV create duplicate events?

The import guide says an existing event is updated when the event title is identical, the start date and time are exactly the same, and the end date and time are exactly the same; only genuinely identical events are updated. A row with a changed date or title won't update the old event, so check for the old copy and delete it yourself.

What happens to RecurKit's events if I remove the plugin?

You choose under Events > Series. You can keep the generated events as ordinary events, which is the default, or delete them. The events you created yourself always stay.

Can I sell tickets for recurring events in Events Calendar Pro?

The documentation says creating tickets for recurring events is not currently supported.