Getting an event in front of more people does not always require a paid ad budget. Several event directories, social platforms, and local calendars let you post an event without paying for the listing.
The right place depends on what you are trying to do. A vendor market that needs booth applicants should be posted in different places than a paid concert that needs ticket buyers.
Below are seven places to post your event for free and when each one makes the most sense.
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<th>Website</th>
<th>Works well for</th>
<th>Free event listing?</th>
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<td>Marketlly</td>
<td>Vendor markets, farmers markets, festivals</td>
<td>Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Facebook</td>
<td>Local and community events</td>
<td>Yes</td>
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<tr>
<td>Eventbrite</td>
<td>Free events, ticketed events, classes, festivals</td>
<td>Yes for free events</td>
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<tr>
<td>Events.com</td>
<td>Festivals, concerts, races, public events</td>
<td>Yes</td>
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<tr>
<td>AllEvents</td>
<td>Concerts, festivals, workshops, markets, nightlife</td>
<td>Yes</td>
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<tr>
<td>Local community calendars</td>
<td>Fundraisers, nonprofit events, public events</td>
<td>Often</td>
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<tr>
<td>Chamber of Commerce calendars</td>
<td>Networking events, grand openings, business events</td>
<td>Depends on the chamber</td>
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1. Marketlly
If you run a vendor market, farmers market, handmade market, night market, pop-up, or community festival, Marketlly is a good place to list it.
Marketlly is built around booth-based events. Vendors use the site to search for markets and events where they can sell, which makes it a strong fit when your goal is to fill vendor spots rather than only bring in attendees.
Organizers can create a public event page, accept vendor applications, collect booth payments, message vendors, and manage booth assignments from one dashboard. Marketlly currently lets organizers run their first market free.
Marketlly works especially well for:
- Farmers markets
- Handmade markets
- Vendor markets
- Night markets
- Holiday bazaars
- Food festivals
- Community festivals
- Pop-ups
If you need more than an event listing, you can also use Marketlly's vendor management software to handle applications, payments, messages, and booth maps.
2. Facebook
Facebook is still worth using for local events because you can create an event page and share it with people who already follow your business, organization, venue, or community page.
Public Facebook events can be visible to anyone on or off Facebook. You can also share the event inside relevant local Facebook groups when the group's rules allow event posts.
Facebook works well for:
- Community events
- School events
- Fundraisers
- Grand openings
- Festivals
- Markets
- Local concerts
- Family events
Do not stop at creating the event page. Share it on your business page, ask vendors or partners to share it, and post it in local groups that allow event posts.
3. Eventbrite
Eventbrite is a good choice when your event has registration or ticketing.
You can publish free events on Eventbrite without paying listing or ticketing fees. Fees apply when you sell paid tickets, accept donations, or sell paid add-ons.
Eventbrite makes sense for:
- Music festivals
- Workshops
- Classes
- Networking events
- Conferences
- Ticketed events
- Free events that require registration
Even if your event does not charge admission, Eventbrite can still help you collect RSVPs and keep track of registrations.
4. Events.com
Events.com lets organizers add unpaid event listings to its event calendars for free. Paid featured placement is also available if you want more visibility.
The site can work well for larger public events such as:
- Festivals
- Concerts
- Food and drink events
- Sporting events
- Public gatherings
Events.com also supports free ticketed events at no cost to the organizer.
It is worth adding to your list if you want another public event page where people can come across your event.
5. AllEvents
AllEvents lets organizers publish events for free. The site lists concerts, festivals, comedy shows, workshops, sports, food events, community events, markets, nightlife, and other public events.
It can be a good fit for:
- Concerts
- Festivals
- Workshops
- Meetups
- Food events
- Markets
- Nightlife
- Community events
Free events can be listed without a publishing fee. If you sell paid tickets through AllEvents, ticket fees may apply.
6. Local Community Websites
Do not overlook local community calendars.
Local news sites, radio stations, city websites, tourism sites, libraries, and nonprofit organizations sometimes run public calendars that accept free event submissions.
For example, some public radio and local news calendars allow organizations to submit community events at no charge, although each calendar sets its own rules.
These calendars can be a good fit for:
- Food donation events
- Fundraisers
- Nonprofit events
- School events
- Community meetings
- Public workshops
- Free family events
- Local festivals
To find them, search Google for:
- "[city] community calendar submit event"
- "[city] submit an event"
- "[county] events calendar"
- "[city] radio community calendar"
- "[city] newspaper event calendar"
Check the submission rules before sending your event. Some calendars only accept nonprofit or free public events, while others accept a wider range of submissions.
If you are organizing a festival or public event with vendors, Marketlly also has community event software for applications, payments, vendor communication, and booth mapping.
7. Local Chamber of Commerce Calendars
Your local Chamber of Commerce may have an events calendar where businesses and organizations can submit events.
Chamber calendars tend to make the most sense for:
- Grand openings
- Networking events
- Business mixers
- Workshops
- Chamber-sponsored festivals
- Fundraisers
- Business dinners
Rules vary by chamber. Some calendars are open to more organizations, while others only accept events hosted or sponsored by chamber members. For example, the Santa Cruz County Chamber currently limits its community calendar to eligible member events.
If your business is already a chamber member, check your member dashboard or the chamber's calendar for an event submission form.
Which Website Should You Use?
You do not need to choose only one site.
If you are running a vendor market and need more sellers, start with Marketlly and Facebook. If you need ticket buyers or RSVPs, add Eventbrite, Events.com, or AllEvents. For community events, submit the event to local calendars too.
A simple posting plan could look like this:
- Need vendors: Marketlly + Facebook groups
- Need attendees: Facebook + Eventbrite + AllEvents
- Running a festival: Marketlly + Facebook + Eventbrite + Events.com + local calendars
- Running a fundraiser or nonprofit event: Facebook + local community calendars
- Running a business event: Facebook + Eventbrite + your local Chamber of Commerce
Posting your event in several relevant places gives people more chances to come across it without spending money on ads.
What Information Should You Include in an Event Listing?
Most event sites ask for similar information. Have these items ready before you start posting:
- Event name
- Date and start time
- Venue name
- Full address
- Short event description
- Event image
- Admission price
- Registration or ticket link
- Organizer contact information
- Vendor application link if you are accepting vendors
Use the same event name, date, location, and event information everywhere you post it.
If something changes, update every listing. You do not want someone finding an old time, address, ticket link, or application deadline on another website.
Posting a Vendor Market?
If your event has booths and you are still recruiting vendors, list your market on Marketlly. Vendors can search for upcoming markets and apply to events that are accepting applications.
You can also use Marketlly to manage vendor applications, booth payments, vendor messages, and booth maps from the same account.
Still putting the event together? Read our guides on how to host a vendor market and how to plan a festival.