Eventward: a free events calendar for WordPress
From the team behind Siteward. Recurring events, six calendar views, maps and ticketing in one plugin, with no Pro version, no upgrade prompts and nothing loaded on pages that do not show an event.
Why we built another calendar
Most WordPress event plugins give you a basic calendar for free and keep the parts a real events page needs, like repeating events, a map or a week view, for a yearly licence. Eventward starts from the other end: everything is in the plugin you install, because there is nothing to upgrade to.
We build Eventward the way we build Siteward. It stays light, it is plain WordPress content underneath, and it does not phone home. If you ever deactivate it, your events are still there.
Free
Recurring events, maps and every view are in the free plugin. There is no Pro tier.
Fast
Event dates live in one indexed table, and nothing loads on pages without events.
Found
Every date carries Google event data: status, venue, organizer and price.
Yours
Ordinary WordPress content. Deactivate the plugin and nothing is deleted.
What other calendars sell as add-ons, built in
Recurring events
Daily, weekly, yearly, “the second Tuesday” or the last Friday of the month. Skip a date or add an extra one, and see the upcoming dates as you edit.
Six calendar views
Month, week, list, photo, map and day. On a phone, the month grid turns into a readable agenda by itself.
Maps, no API key
OpenStreetMap maps with clustered pins. Save a venue’s address and its location is looked up for you.
Search and filters
Keyword, category, venue and organizer filters that update the calendar in place, without reloading the page.
Ready for Google
Structured event data for every date, including cancellations, online events, venue, organizer and price.
Add to calendar
Google, Apple, Outlook and Microsoft 365 on every event, plus iCal feeds for the whole calendar or a single category.
Tickets and RSVP
Free tickets work as an RSVP. Paid tickets go through Stripe Checkout on your own account, with no fee from us.
Blocks and shortcodes
A calendar block, an event details block and templates for block themes, plus shortcodes for Bricks, Divi and Elementor.
Easy to switch to
Addresses like /events/ and /event/your-event/ keep working when you move from The Events Calendar, and its tribe_events shortcode can too.
Fast because of what it leaves out
Event calendars have a reputation for slowing sites down. Eventward is built the other way round.
- Nothing loads where it is not used. Styles and scripts only appear where a calendar or event is shown, so your home page and blog carry none of it.
- One small indexed table holds every event date, so a busy month stays quick even with thousands of events.
- Plain HTML, no jQuery. The calendar is rendered on the server and still works with scripts turned off.
- No endless calendar for bots. Dated pages are noindex, calendar links are nofollow and empty far-future months return a 404, so crawlers cannot run up your server load.
- No tracking. Nothing is loaded from CDNs and nothing is reported about your visitors. The only outside requests are OpenStreetMap tiles and address lookups, and Stripe when you sell paid tickets.
Sell tickets without a platform fee
Both are built in. A free ticket works as an RSVP. Paid tickets use Stripe Checkout on your own Stripe account, so the only fees are Stripe’s.
You get capacity for each date, confirmation emails with ticket codes, an attendee list with check-in, CSV export and refunds.
Page buildersMade for Bricks, Divi and the block editor
Everything the blocks can do is also a shortcode, so the calendar, an event’s details, a single field or a map drop straight into a builder module or theme template. Each event also stores its next date in a field that builder query loops can sort by.
Eventward and The Events Calendar
Based on The Events Calendar’s own published prices and features in 2026.
| Feature | The Events Calendar (free) | The Events Calendar paid bundle | Eventward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recurring events | Not included | Included | Included |
| Week, photo and map views | Not included | Included | Included |
| Search and filter bar | Not included | Included (Filter Bar) | Included |
| Maps | Google Maps | Google Maps | OpenStreetMap, no API key |
| Ticket sales | 2% fee on sales | No fee | Included, no fee (Stripe fees only) |
| Price per site | Free | From US$259 a year | Free, no paid tier |
Where The Events Calendar is ahead today: front-end event submissions, scheduled imports and a large range of add-ons. An importer is planned for Eventward. See the full comparison.
Common questions
Is Eventward really free?
Yes. Every feature on this page is in the free plugin. There is no Pro version, no locked settings and no upgrade prompts in your dashboard.
How do I install it?
Download it free from the Eventward site and upload it under Plugins, Add New, Upload Plugin. It is on its way to WordPress.org; until it is listed there, you update it by downloading the latest version from the Eventward site.
Will it slow my site down?
No. Its styles and scripts only load where a calendar or event is shown, event dates are stored in one indexed table, and the calendar is plain HTML that works without JavaScript.
Can I move from The Events Calendar?
Eventward uses the same web addresses, such as /events/ and /event/your-event/, and a setting keeps the tribe_events shortcode working, so existing links and pages keep working. A one-click importer for events, venues, organizers and repeating events is planned.
Does it work with my theme and page builder?
Yes. Block themes get ready-made templates, classic themes get the same calendar, and every part of it is available as a shortcode for Bricks, Divi, Elementor and other builders.
See Eventward running.
Everything on the Eventward site runs on the plugin itself. Click around the live calendar, or book a twenty-minute walkthrough on a copy of your own site, including how your current events would move across.