Set up a pre-sale for your events

Pre-sales let you schedule ticket sales in advance and offer early access to select audiences. You can protect early access with a code, control when events become visible to visitors, and show clear messaging before tickets go on sale.

How pre-sales work

A pre-sale applies to all events sharing a tag. You control three timing windows:

• Visible at — When events in the tag first appear in your calendar widget. Before this time, visitors won't see them.

• Early access starts — When select visitors can purchase tickets before general sale. You can protect this window with an access code.

• Public on-sale — When tickets are available to everyone.

Visitors see different messaging depending on the current state: a "Coming soon" label before visibility, an unlock prompt during early access if you use an access code, and normal purchase options once public on-sale begins.

Create a pre-sale

1. Go to Pre-sales in your Eventually dashboard.

2. Click New pre-sale.

3. In the Basics section, enter a name for your pre-sale and choose the tag it applies to. All events with this tag will follow the pre-sale schedule. You can pick an existing tag or type a new one.

4. Under Timing, set the three scheduling windows:

   • Visible at — When events appear in your widget.

   • Early access starts — When early access begins.

   • Public on-sale — When tickets are available to all visitors.

5. If you want to restrict early access, scroll to the Early access section and enter an Access code. Visitors will need this code to purchase tickets before public on-sale.

6. Click Create pre-sale to save.

What visitors see

The calendar widget displays different states for events in a pre-sale:

• Before visible — Events don't appear in the widget. The pre-sale banner at the top of the widget shows a "Coming soon" message.

• Between visible and early access — Events appear in the widget and open to a read-only registration view that lists every available base ticket tier with its own name, price, and details. Visitors can't select quantities, purchase, or join a waitlist until the sale opens, and add-on tickets aren't shown in this locked view. The detail action shows "Coming soon" with the on-sale timing until early access begins. This locked action applies to external-registration events too, so no live Sign Up link appears before on-sale.

• During early access (with code required) — Events appear with a prompt to enter an access code. Visitors who enter the correct code can purchase tickets.

• During early access (no code) — Events appear with purchase buttons enabled. Any visitor can buy tickets.

• Public on-sale — Events display normally with all purchase options available.

The pre-sale banner at the top of the widget uses a message area and an on-sale gate. During the final 24 hours before public on-sale, the gate shows a live countdown while keeping the absolute sale date and time beneath it.

Edit or remove a pre-sale

To change timing windows or the access code, go to Pre-sales and select the pre-sale to edit. Changes take effect immediately in your embedded widget.

To remove a pre-sale, delete it from the pre-sales list. Events in that tag will then be available for normal purchase immediately.

Preview pre-sale phases

The pre-sale edit page shows a Preview card that renders each phase as a visitor would see it. It updates live from your unsaved timing, access-code, and banner-copy settings, and uses your widget's brand color and custom CSS so the preview matches the live embed. The card appears only on plans that include pre-sales.

Choose a phase from the selector — Hidden, Announced, Early — locked, Early — unlocked, or Public — to inspect it. Reachable phases render event cards with their corresponding pre-sale treatment, including the “Coming soon” badge and locked call to action where applicable.

When a phase can’t occur under your current settings, the preview explains the missing requirement and shows no widget state for it. For example, an access code with no early-access start time can never produce a locked early-access phase, and the preview says so instead of rendering an impossible state.

Next steps

• Set up your calendar widget — Embed your widget on Squarespace to display events.

• Quick start guide — Review the overall setup flow for events and checkout.

• Create recurring events — Set up classes or workshops that repeat on a schedule.