The Ultimate Guide to Showcasing Events with Shortcodes in WordPress

Event shortcodes in WordPress are one of the platform’s most powerful yet underused tools. With just a simple snippet wrapped in square brackets, you can instantly transform how content appears on your site—no coding required. For event websites, this flexibility is a game-changer.

Shortcodes make it possible to showcase events anywhere: in posts, pages, sidebars, or even custom landing pages. Instead of being locked into a single event page, you can place event lists, grids, or carousels exactly where your visitors are most likely to see them. This not only boosts visibility but also creates a smoother browsing experience for your audience.

Several popular plugins rely heavily on shortcodes to deliver this flexibility. The Events Calendar provides a foundation for event management, while addons like the Eventful plugin expand those capabilities with modern layouts such as grids, carousels, and tickers—all controlled by shortcodes. Together, they make event presentation in WordPress as easy as copy, paste, and publish.

What Are Shortcodes in WordPress?

In WordPress, shortcodes are small pieces of code wrapped in square brackets [ ] that act like shortcuts to dynamic content. Instead of writing complex PHP or HTML, you can simply drop in a shortcode such as [events_list] and WordPress automatically generates the corresponding output—like a list of upcoming events—on your page.

Shortcodes are widely used because they make WordPress both powerful and accessible. Developers can package advanced functionality into a single tag, while non-technical users can insert that functionality with a simple copy-paste. It’s one of the features that allows WordPress to remain flexible for beginners while still meeting the needs of professionals.

Key Advantages of Using Shortcodes

• Flexibility: Display events, forms, galleries, or other dynamic content anywhere—posts, pages, widgets, or custom templates.
• Reusability: Once you learn a shortcode, you can use it across your entire site without rewriting code.
• No Coding Required: Perfect for non-developers; just copy and paste to achieve advanced functionality.

For event websites in particular, shortcodes are essential because they give you full control over where and how your events appear—whether in a clean list on your events page, a stylish grid on your homepage, or a carousel in your sidebar.

Why Use Shortcodes for Events?

When it comes to managing events in WordPress, shortcodes make life dramatically easier. Instead of being tied to a single event page or needing to write custom code, you can use event shortcodes in WordPress to place your events wherever they’ll have the most impact.

Place Event Listings Anywhere

Want a carousel of upcoming events on your homepage? Or a simple list of workshops in a sidebar widget? With shortcodes, you can drop event listings into posts, pages, or widgets with just a few keystrokes.

Customize Displays Without Coding

Shortcodes often include parameters that let you filter or adjust event displays—such as limiting the number of events, showing only a specific category, or changing the order. This means you can tailor event layouts to fit different parts of your site without ever touching PHP or template files.

Consistent Formatting Across Your Site

Using shortcodes ensures that your event displays remain consistent in style and formatting, no matter where you insert them. Visitors will see the same design standards whether they’re on your homepage, blog, or a dedicated events page.

Perfect for Non-Technical Site Owners

Best of all, shortcodes remove the technical barrier. You don’t need to be a developer to showcase events beautifully. Even beginners can copy a shortcode, paste it where needed, and instantly upgrade their site’s design and functionality.

In short, shortcodes are the bridge between flexibility and simplicity—giving you the power to manage event layouts in WordPress without the steep learning curve.

How Event Plugins Use Shortcodes

Shortcodes are at the heart of most WordPress event plugins. They give you the flexibility to place event listings anywhere on your site without editing templates.

The Events Calendar

One of the most popular event management plugins, The Events Calendar, provides simple shortcodes for embedding event content. For example, you can insert a shortcode to display a list of upcoming events, a month view, or a single event. It’s a straightforward way to extend functionality beyond the default events page.

Eventful Plugin

The Eventful plugin takes shortcodes to the next level. Instead of manually configuring shortcode parameters, Eventful uses a post-based system. Each layout you create in Eventful is saved as its own post, complete with settings for:

• Layout type (Grid, Carousel, Ticker, List, etc.)
• Number of events to display
• Styling options like colors, typography, and spacing

Once saved, Eventful generates a shortcode like:

[eventful id="xxx"]

You can then place this shortcode anywhere on your site—pages, posts, or widgets—and it will render the exact layout you designed. This approach makes Eventful incredibly user-friendly, since all customization is handled visually in the WordPress dashboard, not by typing shortcode parameters.

In this way, shortcodes become a bridge: The Events Calendar provides the event data, while Eventful extends functionality with modern, customizable layouts.

Common Event Shortcode Examples

To get a feel for what’s possible, here are some common ways shortcodes are used to showcase events in WordPress:

• Basic List of Events

[events_list]

Shows a simple list of upcoming events.

• Grid Layout of Events

[events_grid]

Displays events in a clean, card-based grid.

• Carousel of Events

[events_carousel]

Adds an interactive horizontal slider for featured or upcoming events.

• Ticker Display

[events_ticker]

Mimics a news ticker, scrolling event titles or dates across the screen.

These examples illustrate how plugins like The Events Calendar handle shortcodes directly with parameters (e.g., limit=5, category=workshops, order=asc).

With Eventful, however, things are even easier. Instead of memorizing shortcode variations, you simply create your layout in the Eventful dashboard, configure all settings there, and drop in the generated shortcode:

[eventful id="xxx"]

This ensures every event display is consistent, customizable, and reusable across your entire WordPress site.

Step-by-Step: Adding Shortcodes in WordPress

Using shortcodes in WordPress is quick and beginner-friendly. Once you’ve generated a shortcode (for example, from Eventful: [ eventful id="xxx" ]), you can place it anywhere on your site to display events. Here’s how:

Pages and Posts

• Open the page or post where you want the events to appear.
• In Gutenberg, add a Shortcode block and paste in [ eventful id="xxx" ].
• In the Classic Editor, paste the shortcode directly into the content area.

Sidebars and Widgets

• Go to Appearance → Widgets in your WordPress dashboard.
• Add a Shortcode widget (or a Text widget, if preferred).
• Paste your event shortcode. This works great for sidebars, footers, or headers.

Using Elementor

• Open your page in Elementor.
• Drag the Shortcode widget into the layout.
• Paste your [ eventful id="xxx" ] shortcode.
• Instantly preview the event layout inside Elementor’s editor.

Previewing Results

Once added, publish or preview the page to see your event layout live. If you need to tweak the design, go back to the Eventful post settings (where the shortcode was generated) and adjust the layout. The shortcode automatically updates everywhere it’s used.

Customizing Shortcode Output

Shortcodes aren’t just static—they’re flexible. With event plugins like Eventful, customization happens in two ways: through built-in settings and, if you want more control, with your own styling.

Adjusting Layout Settings (via Eventful)

Unlike raw shortcode parameters, Eventful handles customization through its post editor. Here you can define:

• Number of events to display
• Categories or tags to filter events
• Layout style (Grid, Carousel, Ticker, List, etc.)
• Styling like colors, typography, and spacing

Once saved, the shortcode will always reflect these customizations.

Overriding with Custom CSS

For advanced users, you can override default styling by adding custom CSS to your theme or customizer. For example, adjusting card spacing, button colors, or carousel arrows.

Using Multiple Shortcodes on a Page

Because each Eventful layout generates its own shortcode, you can place multiple layouts on the same page. For example:

• A Ticker at the top of your homepage for quick updates.
• A Grid section below highlighting featured events.
• A Carousel at the bottom showcasing your next big conference.

Creative Use Cases

• Homepage Showcase: Add a Carousel of upcoming events front-and-center.
• Category-Specific Pages: Use different shortcodes for each event category (e.g., [ eventful id="xxx" ] for workshops, [ eventful id="xxx" ] for webinars).
• Sidebars/Footers: Place a List or Ticker layout in widgets for ongoing visibility.

With Eventful, customization doesn’t require memorizing shortcode parameters—it’s all handled in the dashboard. That means non-technical site owners can build beautiful event layouts in WordPress without touching code, while developers still have the freedom to fine-tune designs.

Pro Tips for Using Event Shortcodes in WordPress Effectively

Shortcodes are powerful, but like any tool, they work best when used thoughtfully. To make the most of your event shortcodes in WordPress, keep these best practices in mind:

Keep Layouts Clean and Consistent

Resist the temptation to overload your event pages. A clean design ensures your audience can quickly find the most important event details, such as dates, times, and registration links.

Use Shortcodes Strategically

Placing too many shortcodes on a single page can slow down load times and overwhelm visitors. Instead, highlight key events on your homepage while keeping full lists or grids on dedicated event pages.

Combine Shortcodes for Different Contexts

One of the greatest strengths of event shortcodes in WordPress is flexibility. For example, you might use a Ticker shortcode at the top of your homepage for quick updates, while a Carousel highlights your featured events below. On another page, a Grid could display all upcoming community events.

Test Responsiveness on Mobile

Always preview your shortcode layouts on different devices. Eventful and similar plugins generate responsive displays, but it’s worth double-checking that your event cards, buttons, and text look good on smartphones and tablets.

Best Plugins for Event Shortcodes in WordPress

A variety of WordPress plugins provide shortcode functionality, but a few stand out for managing events:

The Events Calendar

One of the most popular event management plugins, it provides a foundation for event creation and management. It includes shortcode options to display lists and calendars in different formats.

Eventful Plugin

Built specifically to enhance layouts for The Events Calendar, Eventful generates shortcode-powered designs like grids, carousels, tickers, and lists. Each layout is saved as a post, making it easy to customize settings and insert anywhere on your site with a simple shortcode like [ eventful id="123" ].

Modern Events Calendar

A feature-rich alternative with multiple views and shortcode flexibility, Modern Events Calendar is known for its design variety and advanced scheduling features.

Other Honorable Mentions

• WP Event Manager: Lightweight, with straightforward shortcodes for listing events.
• Timely All-in-One Events Calendar: Offers flexible display options with shortcode support.

If your priority is creating beautiful, customizable event layouts, the Eventful plugin is the best choice for extending what The Events Calendar already does well—making event shortcodes in WordPress not just functional, but visually compelling.

Conclusion: Unlock the Power of Event Shortcodes in WordPress

At their core, shortcodes are a simple concept—but when it comes to events, they’re incredibly powerful. By using event shortcodes in WordPress, you can place event listings anywhere, customize layouts without code, and ensure a consistent look across your site.

While many plugins provide shortcode functionality, the Eventful plugin takes it further by letting you design advanced layouts—grids, carousels, tickers, and more—and insert them anywhere with a single shortcode. It’s the perfect balance of flexibility and ease of use, especially for non-technical site owners.

Frequently Asked Questions