The Events Calendar plugin review and common issues

Go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save Changes to flush WordPress rewrite rules — this is the most common fix. If the 404 persists: (1) verify The Events Calendar is active in WordPress → Plugins; (2) go to Events → Settings → General and verify the Events URL slug is configured (default: “events”); (3) check if another plugin or a WordPress page is using the “events” slug — slug conflicts cause 404 errors; (4) if using Nginx, rewrite rules must be added at the server level since Nginx does not process .htaccess; (5) deactivate and reactivate The Events Calendar to trigger fresh permalink registration.

Check: (1) events are published (not draft) — the calendar only shows published events; (2) the event date is in the month currently displayed in the calendar — navigate to the correct month; (3) event categories filter is not set to a category with no events — reset category filters; (4) go to Events → All Events in the WordPress admin and verify events exist with the expected dates; (5) clear all page caches — the calendar JavaScript loads events via AJAX, and a cached AJAX response may show empty results.

Events Calendar and WooCommerce occasionally conflict over post type handling or template loading. Resolution steps: (1) go to Events → Settings → Display → Template and try changing the template option (use the default WordPress template rather than the Events Calendar’s built-in template); (2) check if a custom events template in your theme is interfering with WooCommerce templates — remove theme-based events template overrides; (3) verify both plugins are updated to their latest versions — plugin compatibility is continuously improved; (4) deactivate Events Calendar and verify WooCommerce functions normally, then reactivate and test.

The Events Calendar map functionality uses Google Maps API. Go to Events → Settings → Integrations and enter your Google Maps API key (obtained from Google Cloud Console with the Maps JavaScript API and Places API enabled). In the event editor, enter the venue address — The Events Calendar geocodes it automatically. Events with venues then display an embedded Google Map on the event detail page. The Events Calendar Pro adds a dedicated Map view showing all events as map pins.

Install the Event Tickets plugin (free from WordPress.org) alongside The Events Calendar. Event Tickets adds RSVP functionality at no cost. For paid tickets with Stripe/PayPal payment processing, add Event Tickets Plus ($89/year). In the event editor, a Tickets section appears where you create ticket types with names, prices, and quantities. Tickets are processed through WooCommerce, so WooCommerce must be installed for paid ticket sales. Attendees receive ticket confirmation emails with QR codes for check-in.

The Events Calendar has a much larger installation base (700,000+ vs EventON’s 60,000+), better community documentation, and a more natural WordPress integration. EventON has superior visual design out of the box and a more distinctive calendar UI aesthetic. For most WordPress sites needing reliable event management with broad theme compatibility and extensive community resources, The Events Calendar is the safer, more practical choice. EventON is better for design-focused sites where the calendar’s visual presentation is a primary priority.

Yes — The Events Calendar’s Virtual Events add-on (free, from WordPress.org) adds virtual event functionality: embed a streaming URL on the event page, show a “Watch Live” button at the event start time, and integrate with Zoom for automatic meeting link generation. For conferences with multiple sessions and speakers, additional custom development or a conference management plugin is typically needed beyond what The Events Calendar’s core and extensions provide.

Yes, that can happen, especially on older sites with many plugins. This usually happens when the plugin, theme, and add-ons are updated out of sequence. In most cases, testing on staging catches the issue before it reaches the live site. From experience, backups and changelog reviews save a lot of cleanup time.

Start by checking whether another plugin already does the same job. In most cases, overlap is what creates avoidable conflicts and performance issues. A common issue is installing a plugin because it looks convenient without checking the stack first. From experience, a short compatibility review avoids most of the pain later.