Description
Event Countdown for The Events Calendar adds a live event countdown timer to The Events Calendar events. Show a days / hours / minutes / seconds countdown to your next upcoming event anywhere on your site using a shortcode, a Gutenberg block, an Elementor widget, or a sitewide floating countdown bar — no code required.
A countdown timer builds urgency and boosts attendance for webinars, conferences, workshops, meetups, festivals, and product launches. This event countdown addon automatically detects the next upcoming event from The Events Calendar and keeps the timer accurate — even behind full-page caching.
👉 View Demo: Event Countdown Timer for The Events Calendar
Why use an Event Countdown Timer?
- Create urgency — a ticking countdown to your event start date drives registrations and ticket sales.
- Promote the next event automatically — the countdown rolls over to the next upcoming event when one ends.
- Show it anywhere — page, post, sidebar, footer, single event page, or a floating bar across the whole site.
- Match your design — presets, colors, sizes, and layouts that fit any theme.
Add an Event Countdown in 4 Ways
- Shortcode — generate
[events-calendar-countdown]from the built-in shortcode generator with a live preview. - Gutenberg Block — drop the Event Countdown block into any page or post in the block editor.
- Elementor Widget — drag the Event Countdown widget onto any Elementor page or template and style it live.
- Sitewide Auto-Display — show a countdown across your site with Display Rules: a sticky top or bottom countdown bar, a floating countdown in the corner, or a floating banner — targeted to the pages you choose.
Key Features
- Event countdown timer with days, hours, minutes, and seconds.
- Auto-detect the next upcoming event — no need to pick an event manually.
- Auto-rollover — when an event ends, the countdown advances to the next one on its own.
- Cache-friendly countdown — stays accurate with caching plugins and full-page caches.
- Recurring event support — occurrence-aware, so recurring events count down correctly.
- Countdown carousel — rotate 1–5 upcoming events in a single countdown slider.
- Next-in-context — on a single event page or a category / tag archive, the countdown targets that event or taxonomy.
- 6 ready-made design presets — Classic, Minimal, Side Image, Bold Poster, Modern Split, and Promo Banner, each with Light and Dark modes.
- Countdown styles — box, ring (circle), and inline digit layouts.
- Full styling controls — background, text, and accent colors, font sizes, corner radius, border, padding, and width.
- Event details — optional event image, venue, cost, and a “Find out more” / event link button.
- Live preview — see the countdown update as you tweak settings.
- Translation-ready & RTL-friendly, responsive on every device.
- Free — all features included, works with the free The Events Calendar plugin.
Perfect For
Webinar countdowns, conference and summit timers, workshop and class reminders, meetup and networking events, concerts and festivals, product launches, sales and offers, sports fixtures, and any time-based event managed with The Events Calendar.
Example Shortcode
[events-calendar-countdown autostart-next-countdown="yes"]
The easiest way to build a shortcode is the generator at Events Addons Event Countdown, which lets you pick an event (or auto-detect the next upcoming event), choose a design preset, set colors and sizes, and copy the ready-made shortcode.
More Addons for The Events Calendar
Building an event website with The Events Calendar? Extend it further with these event addons for more layouts, promotion, and management options.
- Events Shortcodes for The Events Calendar: Display upcoming, past, featured, or category events in list, grid, carousel, slider, masonry, accordion, or timeline layouts, with Gutenberg block support.
- Events Widgets for Elementor: Ready-to-use The Events Calendar widgets for Elementor — event list, grid, and carousel with full typography, color, and meta controls.
- Event Single Page Builder for The Events Calendar: Design custom single event pages with schedule, tickets, venue map, speakers, sponsors, and call-to-action areas.
- Events Speakers & Sponsors: Add structured speakers and sponsors sections to your event pages.
- Events Calendar Modules for Divi: Custom Divi modules to display The Events Calendar events in Divi Builder.
Other Plugins by Cool Plugins
- Timeline Widget for Elementor: Create vertical and horizontal timelines inside Elementor.
- Cool FormKit: Extend Elementor forms with advanced fields and features.
- AutoPoly: Polylang addon to automatically translate WordPress content using AI.
- LocoAI: Loco Translate addon to translate WordPress plugins and themes using AI.
- Cryptocurrency Widgets: Display live crypto prices, charts, and coin data.
Third-Party Services: To improve user experience this plugin offers optional usage tracking and optional feedback submission on deactivation. Data is sent only after explicit user consent. No frontend visitor data is collected and no personal data is stored without permission. For more details, please review our Data Usage Policy, TOS and Privacy Policy.
Disclaimer: This addon is developed by Cool Plugins and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the official team of The Events Calendar plugin. Some links in this plugin or its readme may be affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Special Thanks!
Special thanks to the famous The Events Calendar plugin authors for creating an awesome plugin for events management.
Screenshots




Blocks
This plugin provides 1 block.
- Event Countdown Live countdown to your next event from The Events Calendar.
Installation
Follow the steps below to install and use Event Countdown for The Events Calendar.
1. Install the required plugin
This addon works only with The Events Calendar plugin. Install and activate The Events Calendar before using this event countdown addon.
2. Install and activate Event Countdown
- Go to Plugins Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
- Search for Event Countdown for The Events Calendar.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
You can also upload the ZIP manually to /wp-content/plugins/ and activate it from the Plugins page.
3. Add a countdown
- Shortcode: open Events Addons Event Countdown, build a shortcode with the generator, and paste it into any page or post.
- Block: in the block editor, add the Event Countdown block.
- Elementor: drag the Event Countdown widget onto your layout.
- Sitewide bar / floating countdown: open the Sitewide Display tab and add a display rule for a footer bar, sticky bar, or floating corner countdown.
Your event countdown timer is now live on the frontend.
FAQ
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What does the Event Countdown plugin do?
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It shows a live countdown timer (days, hours, minutes, seconds) to events created with The Events Calendar. Add it with a shortcode, a Gutenberg block, an Elementor widget, or a sitewide floating countdown bar to promote upcoming events and drive registrations.
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Do I need The Events Calendar plugin?
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Yes. Event Countdown is an addon for The Events Calendar, so the free The Events Calendar plugin must be installed and active.
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Can it automatically show the next upcoming event countdown?
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Yes. Enable auto-detect and the plugin displays the countdown for the next upcoming event. When that event ends, the countdown automatically rolls over to the next one — no manual editing.
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Can I add the countdown with a block or with Elementor?
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Yes. Use the Event Countdown Gutenberg block in the block editor, or the Event Countdown widget in Elementor. Both share the same designs and options as the shortcode.
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Can I show a floating or sticky countdown bar across my whole site?
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Yes. In the Sitewide Display tab you can add a floating footer countdown, a sticky top or bottom countdown bar, a floating corner card, or a floating banner, and choose which pages it appears on.
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Does the countdown work with caching plugins?
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Yes. The countdown is cache-safe — it renders from absolute event times and calculates the remaining time in the browser, so it stays accurate behind full-page caching.
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Does it support recurring events?
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Yes. The countdown is occurrence-aware, so recurring events count down to their correct next occurrence.
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Can I display more than one event or multiple countdowns?
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Yes. Add multiple shortcodes/blocks on a page, or use the built-in countdown carousel to rotate 1–5 upcoming events in a single countdown.
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Can I customize the countdown design?
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Yes. Choose from 6 presets (with Light/Dark modes), pick a box, ring, or inline timer style, and set colors, sizes, radius, border, padding, width, and which event details to show.
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Will my existing shortcodes keep working after updating to 2.0?
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Yes. Existing
[events-calendar-countdown]shortcodes keep working and automatically get the upgraded look — no changes needed. -
Where do I report security bugs found in this plugin?
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Please report security bugs found in the source code of this plugin through the Patchstack Vulnerability Disclosure Program. The Patchstack team will assist you with verification, CVE assignment, and notifying the developers.
Reviews
Contributors & Developers
“Event Countdown for The Events Calendar – Countdown Timer, Block, Elementor Widget & Floating Bar” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
ContributorsInterested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
2.0.0 | AUG 20, 2026
- New: Complete ground-up rewrite with a modern, cache-safe countdown engine — the same look across every editor.
- New: Event Countdown Gutenberg block for the block editor.
- New: Event Countdown Elementor widget with live styling.
- New: Sitewide auto-display (Display Rules) — floating footer countdown, sticky top/bottom countdown bar, floating corner cards, and a floating banner, targeted per page.
- New: Countdown carousel — rotate 1–5 upcoming events in a single countdown.
- New: 6 design presets (Classic, Minimal, Side Image, Bold Poster, Modern Split, Promo Banner) with Light/Dark modes.
- New: Box, ring, and inline countdown styles plus color, size, radius, border, padding, and width controls.
- New: Live preview in the settings panel.
- New: Next-in-context countdown on single event pages and category/tag archives.
- Improved: Cache-friendly countdown that stays accurate behind full-page caching.
- Improved: Auto-rollover to the next upcoming event when one ends.
- Improved: Occurrence-aware queries for recurring events.
- Improved: Security, accessibility, and WordPress coding standards throughout.
- Note: Existing shortcodes keep working and get the upgraded look automatically.
- Tested: With The Events Calendar v6.17 and WordPress 6.9.
1.5.4 | JUN 15, 2026
- Improved: Cleaned up the notice registration logic for better readability.
1.5.3 | JUN 1, 2026
- Improved: Code improvements and optimization.
- Tested: With The Events Calendar v6.16.3.
1.5.2 | MAR 10, 2026
- Improved: Dashboard header usability.
- Tested: With The Events Calendar v6.15.17.1.
1.5.1 | FEB 26, 2026
- Fixed: Minor styling issues for better UI consistency.
- Improved: Code structure and performance optimization.
1.5.0 | FEB 21, 2026
- Improvements: Improved dashboard design and usability.
- Improvements: Code optimizations and refinements.
- Fixed: Issues reported by “Plugin Check” plugin.
- Updated: Readme file.
- Tested: With The Events Calendar v6.15.16.
1.4.16 | DEC 19, 2025
- Fixed: Security issue related to AJAX permission checks.
- Tested: With The Events Calendar v6.15.12.2.
1.4.15 | SEP 22, 2025
- Improved: Rating notice styling.
- Tested: With The Events Calendar v6.15.4.
1.4.14 | SEP 05, 2025
- Fixed: Review notice display.
- Improved: Code security and stability.
- Tested: With The Events Calendar v6.15.1.1.
1.4.13 | SEP 02, 2025
- Updated: Internal links.
- Updated: Readme file.
1.4.12 | AUG 21, 2025
- Improved: Code security and stability.
- Tested: With WordPress 6.8.2.
1.4.11 | JUN 13, 2025
- Added: User opt-in option.
- Added: Deactivation feedback notice.
- Tested: With WordPress 6.8.1.
1.4.10 | MAY 30, 2025
- Fixed: Minor security improvements.
- Tested: With WordPress 6.8.1.
1.4.9 | DEC 09, 2024
- Fixed: Text domain loading issue.
- Fixed: Countdown not working in background.
- Tested: With WordPress 6.7.1.
1.4.8 | FEB 28, 2024
- Updated: Text domain for “Find Out More” string.
1.4.7 | MAR 31, 2022
- Improved: Minor text changes.
- Updated: Links.
- Improved: Dashboard code.
- Updated: Readme file.
1.4.6 | NOV 28, 2022
- Fixed: Undefined show image variable issue.
1.4.5 | NOV 14, 2022
- Added: Event image inside countdown.
- Fixed: Undefined variable issue.
1.4.4 | SEP 23, 2022
- Fixed: Minor changes.
1.4.0 | SEP 04, 2022
- Improved: Code security and stability.
- Improved: Overall code structure.
1.3.1 | OCT 23, 2022
- Fixed: Compatibility issues with WordPress 5.6.
1.3.0 | OCT 23, 2022
- Added: Events Addons dashboard.
- Updated: Moved plugin settings under Events Addons Event Countdown.
1.2.0 | DEC 02, 2022
- Added: Auto-start next upcoming event countdown.
- Added: Shortcode preview feature.
- Added: Recurring event countdown support.
- Added: .pot file for translations.
- Added: Translations for German, French, Spanish, Czech, Russian, and Turkish.
- Added: Dynamic main title option.
- Improved: Overall code.
- Improved: Event start message display.
1.1.0 | DEC 02, 2022
- Added: Event venue and “Find Out More” link integration.
- Added: New layout design.
- Added: Color customization options.
- Fixed: Major shortcode rendering issue.
- Improved: Overall code.
1.0.0 | DEC 02, 2022
- Initial release.
