How do I sync my Facebook events with ical?

Facebook events allow users to create, manage, and share event details and invitations right within the Facebook platform. While this is convenient for engaging with Facebook friends, many users also want to sync their Facebook events to their personal calendars like iCal/Apple Calendar or Google Calendar. By syncing Facebook events to an external calendar, you can view all your plans in one place for improved organization and scheduling.

In this article, we’ll walk through the steps for syncing Facebook event data with the iCal (.ics) calendar format. iCal is supported by most major calendar platforms, so syncing Facebook events to iCal makes the event data portable across different apps and devices. We’ll cover how to find the iCal link for individual Facebook events, download event data automatically through Facebook’s API system, and import iCal files into Apple Calendar or Google Calendar. With a few simple steps, you can ensure your Facebook events and personal calendar stay perfectly in sync.

Finding an iCal Link for Individual Facebook Events

The easiest way to sync a Facebook event to your calendar is by grabbing the iCal link from the individual event page. Here’s how it works:

1. From your Facebook homepage, navigate to the specific event page you want to sync. You can find upcoming event pages on your homepage or by clicking “Events” in the left menu.
2. Look below the event details for a link labeled “Export Event.” Click this link.
3. A pop-up will appear with an .ics link under the heading “Calendar Links.” Right click the .ics link and select “Copy Link Address” or “Copy Link.”

You now have the direct iCal download link for that Facebook event copied to your clipboard. Next, you simply need to import the link into your calendar platform of choice.

To import the link to Apple Calendar on Mac/iOS:

1. Open the Apple Calendar app and click File > New Calendar Subscription in the menu bar.
2. An “iCal Subscription” window will pop up. Paste the copied .ics link into the URL field.
3. Click Subscribe. The Facebook event will now appear in your Calendar app.

To import the link to Google Calendar:

1. Open Google Calendar and click the “+” button next to “Other Calendars” on the left sidebar. Select “From URL.”
2. Paste the copied .ics link into the field provided. Click Add.
3. The Facebook event will now show up on your Google Calendar.

The advantage of using the .ics link is you don’t need any special software or technical expertise. Every major calendar platform recognizes the iCal format, so you can quickly add individual Facebook events to your calendar using only your browser and calendar app. The downside is you have to manually repeat the import process for every Facebook event you want to add.

Automatically Syncing All Facebook Events through the API

If you want to completely automate Facebook event syncing to iCal/your external calendar, Facebook does provide an API (Application Programming Interface) to generate a dynamically updating iCal feed. The API feed will automatically import all your Facebook events rather than requiring you to handle each event manually.

Here are steps to set up automatic Facebook event syncing using the API:

1. Go to the Facebook Developers page and log in with your Facebook account credentials.
2. Navigate to the Graph API Explorer tool.
3. Using the Graph API Explorer, you will make the following call:
   
GET /{user-id}/events

   Replace {user-id} with your actual Facebook user ID number. You can find your user ID by entering “id” into the Graph API Explorer and reading the result.
4. In the Explorer, check the boxes for the “fields” you want returned in your events feed. At minimum, enable:
   • name
   • description
   • start_time
   • end_time
5. Click “Get Token” and grant user permissions when prompted.
6. Click “Submit” to generate the API call.
7. The call will return an iCal feed link ending in “.ics” under the “id” field. Copy this link.

You now have a dynamically updating iCal feed for all your Facebook events. To import it, follow the same steps above for importing an individual event .ics link into your calendar platform. The feed will stay updated as long as you maintain the API token.

The API feed method allows complete automation of Facebook event syncing. However, there are some downsides:

• It requires using the Graph API Explorer which can be technically complex.
• You need permission from a Facebook admin to access the company’s API.
• The feed URL contains a long complex access token that expires periodically.

For advanced users with coding expertise, using Facebook’s API is the best way to sustain an automated Facebook events calendar. But the manual .ics link method is simpler for most average users.

Syncing Facebook Events with Zapier

For users seeking an automated sync that doesn’t require coding skills, you can turn to Zapier. Zapier is an online automation tool that connects different web apps together with their APIs but doesn’t require you to write raw code.

To set up Facebook event syncing with Zapier:

1. Create a free Zapier account.
2. Browse the Zaps template gallery and select “Facebook” to “Calendar.”
3. Connect your Facebook account when prompted.
4. Select your specific calendar app like iCal, Google Calendar, Outlook, etc.
5. Pick which Facebook events you want to copy over based on filters like time frames or friend lists.
6. Set up a Zap schedule – for example, syncing Facebook events every 12 hours.

Zapier handles interfacing with the Facebook and calendar APIs behind the scenes. You just set up and configure the automated Zaps through a simple web UI.

The benefits of Zapier are:

• No coding/API expertise required
• Intuitive setup steps with templates
• Flexibility to customize syncs
• Works across thousands of app integrations

The limitations are:

• Need a paid Zapier plan for complex syncs
• Limited customization compared to raw API access
• Requires ongoing maintenance of Zaps

For non-developers, Zapier offers the best middle ground between manual and fully automated Facebook event syncing.

Syncing One-Off Facebook Events

The syncing methods above focus on recurring events updated dynamically from Facebook. You may also want to occasionally sync one-off events to your calendar that aren’t tied to your Facebook account. For example:

• A birthday party invite from a friend’s private Eventbrite page
• A local concert listed on a venue’s website
• A community festival posted on the city’s Facebook page

These types of external one-off events can’t be automatically synced from your own Facebook account. However, you can manually add their details to your calendar using an iCal file. Here’s how:

1. Navigate to the webpage with the relevant event details and host.
2. See if the page includes an .ics download link and copy it. If not…
3. Manually create a calendar entry on a site like YCAL.org.
4. Download the .ics file from your YCAL calendar.
5. Import the .ics file to your calendar app like any other iCal feed.

While not automated, using an online iCal generator does allow quickly transferring one-off events from anywhere on the web to your calendar in just a few clicks.

Conclusion

Syncing Facebook event data with your personal calendar ensures you have all your plans and reminders in one consolidated place. Rather than constantly cross-referencing Facebook and your calendar, syncing them together displays all your event details where you need them.

For individual Facebook events, grabbing the .ics link from the event page provides a fast manual sync option. To automate ongoing syncs across all your Facebook events, the Facebook Graph API or an integration service like Zapier are the best choices. With the right syncing approach, you can simplify event management and get the most out of both Facebook and your calendar.