How to Import Events into ACF Custom Post Types with WP Event Aggregator

If you build sites with Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), you probably have your own “Events” post type with your own fields: start date, venue, city, organizer, ticket link. It is clean, flexible and exactly how you want it. The catch is that most event importers only work with ready-made event plugins, so you end up copying events in by hand.

The WPEA ACF Events Addon solves that. It lets WP Event Aggregator import events from Eventbrite, Facebook, Meetup and iCal straight into your own ACF post type, and you decide which source detail goes into which ACF field.

This guide covers the setup, the field mapping, and the small things that trip people up. For a second reference, the addon documentation is open to everyone.

Is This Addon Right for You?

It is a good fit if:

• You already use (or want to use) your own event post type built with ACF.
• You want full control over field names, field types and templates.
• You are building a site for a client and do not want to depend on a specific events plugin.

If you would rather use a ready-made calendar plugin, WP Event Aggregator also supports those directly, so you do not need this addon.

What You Need

• WP Event Aggregator, the plugin that does the importing
• Advanced Custom Fields, free or Pro
• The WPEA ACF Events Addon
• A custom post type for your events, created with ACF’s own Post Types feature

ACF Free is enough for most setups. Some field types, such as the relationship field, are part of ACF Pro. Some import methods in WP Event Aggregator (for example Eventbrite by Organizer ID, or Facebook by Page) are Pro features of that plugin, so plan for that if you need them.

If ACF or WP Event Aggregator is missing, the addon shows a notice in your dashboard telling you what to install.

Quick Start: Use the Sample Files

The addon ships with two ready-made JSON files in its json_data_files folder. They are the fastest way to see everything working:

1. acf-events-fields.json is a sample ACF setup with an Events post type, event categories, locations, organizers and a field group (dates, times, URL, timezone, venue and organizer details).
2. wpea-events-mapping.json is a matching field mapping you can upload on the addon’s Import Mapping tab.

Import the first file with ACF’s import tool, upload the second on the Import Mapping tab, and you are ready to import. Already have your own fields? Skip this and use the manual setup below.

Step 1: Activate Your License

Go to WP Event Aggregator → ACF Events Addon and open the License tab. Enter your key to receive updates.

Step 2: Map Your ACF Fields

This is the heart of the addon. Open the ACF Fields Mapping tab:

1. Select ACF Post Type. Choose the post type your events should be created in.
2. Assign taxonomies. Pick which taxonomy should hold event categories, locations and organizers. Terms are created automatically when they do not exist yet.
3. Map the fields. For each source detail, choose the ACF field that should receive it.
4. Click Save Settings.

Which Details Can You Map?

The event title and description always go into the post title and the post content, so you do not need to map those.

A Few Mapping Tips

• Dates are saved in ACF’s date picker format (year, month, day), and times as hours, minutes and seconds. Set each field’s Return Format in ACF to control how it displays on your site.
• Relationship fields. If you map a detail like Organizer Name to a relationship field, the addon finds a post with that title, or creates one, and links it for you.
• The featured image is always set. The event image is downloaded into your Media Library and used as the featured image. If you also map the image to a URL or text field, that field stores the image link instead.
• One source detail goes to one ACF field.

Step 3: Choose ACF Events as the Destination

Open any import tab in WP Event Aggregator (Eventbrite, Facebook, Meetup or iCal) and find Import Into. You will see ACF Events in the list. Select it, choose a category and a status, and run your import.

Imported events arrive as pending unless you pick another status, which gives you a chance to review them. You can run an import once, or schedule it so new events are added automatically.

Which Sources Can You Use?

• Eventbrite: by Event ID, and by Organizer ID or Collection ID with the Pro plugin.
• Facebook: by Event ID, and by Facebook Page with the Pro plugin.
• Meetup: by Event ID, and by Group URL with the Pro plugin.
• iCal: by .ics file, and by iCal URL or Outlook Calendar with the Pro plugin.

Eventbrite, Facebook and Meetup need a quick connection in WP Event Aggregator → Settings. iCal does not need one. The WP Event Aggregator documentation explains each connection step by step.

Showing the Imported Data on Your Site

Because the data lives in ACF fields, you display it the usual ACF way. For example, if you used the sample field group:

<?php
$start = get_field( 'start_date' );
$venue = get_field( 'venue_name' );
$city  = get_field( 'city' );

if ( $start ) {
    echo '<p>' . esc_html( $start ) . '</p>';
}
if ( $venue ) {
    echo '<p>' . esc_html( $venue . ', ' . $city ) . '</p>';
}
?>

Use your own field names if they differ. You can also show events with any page builder that reads ACF fields.

Moving Your Mapping to Another Site

Building the same setup for more than one site? Upload a mapping file on the Import Mapping tab and the configuration is applied instantly. It saves a lot of clicking when you launch several sites.

Troubleshooting

My post type is not in the dropdown

The list shows post types created with ACF’s own Post Types feature. A post type registered in code or by another plugin will not appear there. Recreate it in ACF, or build it there from the start.

I do not see my taxonomies

Taxonomies are listed for the post type you selected, so make sure they are attached to that post type in ACF first.

I changed the mapping, but old events did not change

A new mapping only applies to future imports. To refresh events you imported earlier, turn on Update existing events for that source in the WP Event Aggregator settings and import again.

An event I imported again was skipped

That is the duplicate protection at work. Events already on your site are skipped unless Update existing events is turned on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it work without WP Event Aggregator?

No. WP Event Aggregator does the actual importing, and this addon sends the results into ACF.

Does it work with ACF Free?

Yes, it works with ACF Free and ACF Pro. Fields such as the relationship field need ACF Pro.

Can I use my own custom post type?

Yes, as long as it was created with ACF’s Post Types feature.

Are organizers and venues created automatically?

Yes. If you assign taxonomies for them, terms are created the first time they appear and reused after that.

Can I import automatically?

Yes. Use a scheduled import in WP Event Aggregator, and choose how often it should run.

Wrapping Up

With the ACF addon, you keep your own post type and your own fields, and WP Event Aggregator fills them for you. Start with the sample JSON files, import one event to see how the data lands, then adjust the mapping to fit your project.

For more, see the ACF addon docs and the WP Event Aggregator docs, or visit the WPEA ACF Events Addon page and the WP Event Aggregator page.