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Tickets Please

Event Status & Cancellation

Event Status & Cancellation

Events do not always go as planned. Tickets Please gives you explicit status values for managing an event’s lifecycle — from its default scheduled state through postponement or cancellation. When you cancel an event, a guided workflow handles attendee notifications and refund processing so nothing falls through the cracks.

Status Values

Every event has a _tribe_event_status meta field with one of three values:

StatusDescription
ScheduledThe default. The event is happening as planned.
PostponedThe event is on hold. It remains visible with a postponed indicator, and no dates are removed.
CanceledThe event is not happening. A cancellation notice replaces the normal ticket/RSVP interface.

The status is independent of the WordPress post status. A canceled event can still be a published post — it is visible on the site with its cancellation notice rather than hidden entirely.

Setting the Status

  1. Open the event in the editor.
  2. In the Event Status meta box, select Scheduled, Postponed, or Canceled from the dropdown.
  3. If you select Postponed or Canceled, a Status Reason textarea appears. Enter an explanation (e.g., “Postponed due to weather — new date TBD” or “Canceled due to low registration”).
  4. Save or update the event.

The status reason is stored in _tribe_event_status_reason and displayed on the frontend alongside the status indicator.

The Cancellation Workflow

When you change an event’s status to Canceled and save, a modal appears with three options for handling attendees:

Option 1: Notify Attendees + Process Refunds

This option sends a cancellation email to all attendees and triggers automatic refunds through the payment gateway. Use this when the event is definitively canceled and attendees should get their money back.

The refund is processed through WooCommerce using the original payment method. See Refunds for details on how refund processing works.

Option 2: Notify Attendees Only

This option sends a cancellation email to all attendees but does not process refunds. Use this when you plan to handle refunds manually, offer credits, or reschedule to a new date.

Option 3: Silent Cancellation

This option changes the status without sending any notifications or processing refunds. Use this for events that have not sold tickets yet, or when you want to handle all communication outside of the plugin.

The cancellation modal is powered by assets/js/event-cancellation.js and makes its requests via AJAX, so the process completes without a full page reload.

Postponed Events

Postponed events remain visible on the site with a clear indicator. The original dates stay intact so attendees can see when the event was originally scheduled. When you have a new date:

  1. Update the event dates.
  2. Change the status back to Scheduled.
  3. Clear the status reason (optional).
  4. Save the event.

Attendees are not automatically notified when a postponed event is rescheduled. Use the Event Updates notification system to send an update manually.

Frontend Display

On the frontend, the status affects how the event page renders:

  • Scheduled: Normal display with ticket/RSVP interface.
  • Postponed: A notice banner appears at the top of the event page with the status reason. Tickets and RSVPs remain available unless you separately disable them.
  • Canceled: A cancellation banner replaces the ticket/RSVP section. The event details remain visible so attendees can reference the information, but no new registrations are accepted.

Status and the REST API

The REST API includes the status in event responses:

{
  "id": 1234,
  "title": "Bird Watching Workshop",
  "status": "canceled",
  "status_reason": "Canceled due to trail closure"
}

You can filter events by status:

GET /wp-json/tribe/events/v1/events?status=scheduled

Common Questions

Can I revert a canceled event back to scheduled? Yes. Change the status dropdown back to Scheduled and save. If refunds were already processed, they are not reversed — you would need to handle that separately through WooCommerce.

Does canceling an event delete any data? No. The event, its tickets, and all attendee records remain intact. Only the status meta field changes. This preserves your records for reporting and auditing.

Are postponed events included in “upcoming events” listings? Yes. Postponed events still appear in event lists and calendar views based on their original dates. The postponed indicator is visible so visitors know the event’s status.

Can I customize the cancellation email? Yes. The cancellation notification uses the same email template system as other Tickets Please emails. See Email Notifications for template customization.

What happens to checked-in attendees when I cancel? Their check-in status is preserved but has no practical effect on a canceled event. Attendee records remain linked to the event regardless of status.

How do I cancel just one occurrence of a recurring event? Edit the specific occurrence and change its status to Canceled. Other occurrences in the series are not affected. See Recurring Events for more on managing individual occurrences.

Next Steps