If you’ve ever wanted to automatically display events from another calendar directly on your WordPress site, ICS feed support in Pie Calendar makes it incredibly simple to do.
How do I sync Google Calendar to WordPress? To sync Google Calendar to WordPress, copy your calendar’s Public iCal address from your Google settings and paste it into the Pie Calendar Connector Add-on. This creates a live, one-way sync that automatically updates your website whenever you change your Google Calendar
Whether you want to display an ICS feed from a calendar like Google Calendar or even 3rd party sources like Basecamp project management software, or even a totally custom ICS feed like a Formula 1 race schedule, you can display them using the Pie Calendar Connector Addon.
In this post, I’ll walk you through how ICS feeds work, how to connect them using the Pie Calendar Connector Add-on, and a few examples you can try yourself.
What you’ll see in this post works with both Pie Calendar free directly from the WordPress plugin repository as well as the Pro version of Pie Calendar, which includes recurring events, blackout dates, automatic time zone conversion and a lot more.
What Are ICS Feeds?
An ICS feed (short for iCalendar feed) is a URL that returns an .ICS file containing event data. Many calendar platforms including Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Yahoo, and Basecamp provide an ICS feed that you can share or embed elsewhere.
When you import an ICS feed into Pie Calendar, those external events automatically appear on your WordPress calendar. If the source calendar changes, the updates are pulled in automatically with no manual work needed.
Note: If you’re currently using a legacy tool, see why Pie Calendar is the best Simple Calendar alternative.
Adding an ICS Feed from Google Calendar
Let’s start with a simple example: importing U.S. holidays from Google Calendar.
- Open Google Calendar in your browser.
- On the left-hand side, find the calendar you want to import (for example, “U.S. Holidays”).
- Click the three dots next to it and choose Settings and sharing.
- Scroll down until you see “Public address in iCal format”.
- Copy that link, which should end in “.ics”.
Next, switch over to your WordPress site:
- Edit the page where your Pie Calendar block is located.
- Select the block, then look on the right-hand sidebar for Event Sources.
- Expand the ICS section and paste in the Google Calendar URL.
- Save your changes and refresh the page.
Your Google Calendar events will now appear instantly in Pie Calendar. Any time you add or change events in Google Calendar, they’ll automatically update on your WordPress site.
If using the shortcode, add the attribute sources=”ics” to enable ICS feeds, then add the attribute icsurls=”{url to your ics feeds},{comma separated for multiple}” where the curly-bracketed placeholders are replaced with the actual ICS feeds you want to display.
Here’s a full example shortcode:
[piecal sources="ics" icsurls="https://gcal.notreal/file.ics"]Importing Events from 3rd Party Software
Basecamp is a project management software with an internal calendar that also provides an ICS feed, making it perfect for teams or membership sites that want to share project timelines or group events publicly.
- Copy the ICS link from your Basecamp calendar.
- In the Pie Calendar block, open Event Sources and add a new line in the ICS section.
- Paste the Basecamp link and save your page.
You’ll now see your Basecamp events appear alongside your existing calendar entries. If you update or delete events in Basecamp, those changes will automatically sync to your WordPress site.
Many other platforms and products provide ICS feed URLs or even ICS files, which you can self host and display very easily.
Combining Multiple Event Sources
One of the most powerful features of Pie Calendar’s Connector Add-on is that you can mix and match event sources. You can display any combination of event sources on a single calendar.
For example, you might want to:
- Combine multiple ICS feeds (e.g., Google Calendar + Basecamp)
- Display native Pie Calendar events from your WordPress posts alongside one or more ICS feed
- Include Eventbrite events + ICS Feeds + Native events all in one unified calendar view
This makes it easy to manage complex event setups, whether you’re running a business calendar, community hub, or an event-driven website.
Using a Self-Hosted ICS File
If you’ve downloaded an .ics file and want to host it yourself, you can do that too.
- Upload the .ics file to your WordPress Media Library.
- Copy the file URL.
- Paste that URL into the ICS box in your Pie Calendar settings.
- Save and refresh and your events will appear immediately.
For example, you could download a Formula 1 race schedule as an ICS file and host it directly on your site. Even if the source doesn’t offer a public link, you’ll still be able to display the events perfectly.
FAQs
Q: Does this work with private Google Calendars? A: To sync with Pie Calendar, you must use the “Secret address in iCal format” or make the calendar public. This allows Pie Calendar to securely fetch the event data and display it on your site.
Q: Will syncing Google Calendar slow down my WordPress site? A: No. Pie Calendar fetches the data efficiently, ensuring your site remains fast even with large calendars.
Q: Can I style the synced Google events? A: Absolutely. Unlike the default Google Calendar embed, Pie Calendar allows you to use your site’s native styling and colors so the events look like a seamless part of your design.
Q: How often does the Google Calendar sync update? A: Pie Calendar fetches the latest data from your ICS feed URL every 60 minutes, or as often as every 60 seconds if required, ensuring your visitors always see the most current schedule.
Q: Can I sync multiple Google Calendars to one page? A: Yes! You can paste multiple ICS URLs into the Connector Add-on to merge several calendars into one unified view.
Wrapping Up
That’s how easy it is to use ICS feeds in WordPress with Pie Calendar.
With the Connector Add-on, you can integrate Google Calendar, Basecamp, or any other platform that provides an ICS link, or even your own self-hosted ICS files.
Whether you’re using the free or Pro version, Pie Calendar makes it simple to manage and display events from anywhere.
