Event QR code generator
This event QR code generator wraps a title, start and end time, location and description into a calendar entry that phones offer to add, with no app or sign-in needed on the guest's side. The code is static, so it never expires and nothing routes through a server. It is free with no sign-up, made entirely in your browser, and verified by a real scanner before you download it.
Content: Calendar event
Enter a start date and time.
Enter an end date and time.
Style
PNG, JPG or SVG up to 2 MB. It stays on your device.
Your codes on this device
Off by default. When on, each downloaded code (type, content, style) is saved in this browser only, never uploaded. You can delete them at any time.
How to use the event QR code generator
- Type the Event title as you want it to appear in the calendar, for example "Anna and Tom's wedding" or "Product launch webinar".
- Set the Start and End date and time, then pick the Time zone you entered them in. The generator converts both to UTC so every phone shows the right local time.
- Add the Location (an address or a venue name) and an optional Description, such as a dress code or a link to the programme. Keep both short: every character makes the code denser.
- Turn on Show encoded text to review the VEVENT record the code will contain.
- Wait for the badge under the preview to read Verified, then choose Download PNG, Download SVG or Download PDF.
Event QR code details
An event QR code holds a small iCalendar record, the same format that .ics email attachments use. For a launch on 15 October 2026 at 18:00 in London it reads BEGIN:VEVENT, then SUMMARY:Product launch, DTSTART:20261015T170000Z, DTEND:20261015T190000Z, LOCATION:The Rooftop at Long Lane, DESCRIPTION:Doors open 17:30, and finally END:VEVENT, one field per line. The phone’s camera recognises the record and offers Add to calendar; iOS and Android both read it natively, and the guest sees the title, time and place before confirming. No website is opened, no invitation is sent and nothing is fetched from anywhere.
What the encoder does with your input
The title becomes SUMMARY, the venue LOCATION and the notes DESCRIPTION. The start and end you type are interpreted in the Time zone you choose and converted to UTC, written with a trailing Z: 18:00 in London in October, when the city is on UTC+1, becomes 170000Z. This matters because a bare time with no zone is treated by each phone as its own local time; a guest in New York would otherwise be reminded at 18:00 Eastern, five hours late. UTC with Z describes one instant, and every phone translates it back to its own zone. Turn on Show encoded text to see the final record.
Size
A typical event is 150–300 bytes, so the code is denser than a link: about 49 to 69 modules per side at error correction M. Keep the description to a single line and put the long programme on a web page.
What it cannot do
- No invitations or RSVPs. The code creates an entry on the guest’s own calendar. It does not tell you who added it, and there is no attendee list. Use a form or a ticketing page for RSVPs and link to it from the description.
- No updates after printing. If the date, time or venue changes, the printed code still adds the old entry. You generate a new code and reprint; for events that might move, print a code to a web page you control and put the details there.
- No recurring events or alarms. The generator writes a single occurrence and lets the guest’s calendar apply its own default reminder.
Common mistakes
- Wrong time zone. Pick the zone the event happens in, not the zone you are sitting in while you make the code.
- End before start. Check that an event running past midnight ends on the following date, not at 01:00 on the same day.
Read the size guide before printing a dense event code small, and drop the downloaded file into the QR code reader to see the entry exactly as a guest will.
This code never expires
The calendar entry is written into the code in full, so it keeps working until the event itself is over, and even then it still adds the same entry. This is a static QR code: the data is written into the pattern, so scanning it needs no server, no account and no subscription. There is nothing to renew and no redirect that can be switched off, which is why a code made here keeps working for as long as the printed copy exists. The trade-off is honest: a static code cannot be edited after printing and does not count scans. If you need either, encode a link to a page you control. Read how static and dynamic codes differ, and if a code you already have has stopped working, see why QR codes expire.
Styling, formats and print size
Every code can be styled in the Style panel: six dot shapes, corner shapes, solid or gradient colours, a transparent background, a quiet zone of 0–8 modules, and your own logo up to 30 percent of the width. A contrast checker warns below 3:1 and blocks downloads below 1.5:1, and after each change the preview is decoded again so the badge tells you whether the styled code still scans.
| Output | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | Web, documents, quick prints | 256 to 4096 px; transparent background supported |
| SVG | Designers and print shops | Vector, scales without limit; logo embedded |
| Printing at an exact size | Vector modules at a chosen width in mm or inches, optional caption | |
| JPG | Platforms that reject PNG | White background; no transparency |
| EPS | Legacy print workflows | Vector from the module matrix, no logo |
| Copy / Print | Pasting into a document; a quick paper test | PNG to the clipboard; print view with caption |
Print size: as a rule of thumb the code should be at least one tenth of the scanning distance wide, with the quiet zone included.
| Scan distance | Minimum width |
|---|---|
| 0.5 m (arm's length) | 5 cm |
| 1 m | 10 cm |
| 2 m | 20 cm |
| 5 m | 50 cm |
An event code is denser than a link, often 49 to 69 modules per side, so print it at least 3 cm wide on invitations and 10 cm or more on posters; export the PDF at a fixed size for the printer.
The QR code size guide has a calculator for module size, DPI and distance.
Frequently asked questions
Does an event QR code expire?
No. The whole calendar entry is stored inside the code, so scanning it in five years still offers the same entry with the same date. There is no server, link or account involved. The only thing that goes stale is the event itself; if the date changes, you print a new code.
Which phones can add an event from a QR code?
iPhones with the built-in camera app recognise a VEVENT and show an Add to Calendar prompt. Android phones do the same through the camera or Google Lens, offering Google Calendar or whichever calendar app is the default. Older phones may need a QR app that understands iCalendar; most of them do.
Is this event QR code generator free for a large print run?
Yes. There is no account, no watermark and no limit on codes or downloads. The code is built in your browser, so a thousand invitations with the same code cost nothing, and printing more later needs no permission from anyone. The SVG and PDF exports are meant for the print shop.
Why does the code store the time in UTC?
Because a time without a zone means something different on every phone. Writing the instant in UTC with a Z tells the calendar exactly when the event happens, and the phone converts it to its own zone. A guest travelling from Toronto to a London wedding sees the right time at both ends.
Can I edit the event after I have printed the code?
No. The entry is fixed in the printed pattern; there is no link back to a server to update. Generate a new code for a new date. If the event might move, encode a link to a web page you control and keep the details there, so the printed code stays valid.
Can guests RSVP through the code?
Not through the calendar entry itself. It creates an event on their phone, with no attendee list on your side. Put an RSVP link in the Description, or print a second code for a form, and keep the calendar code purely for saving the date.
How big should an event QR code be printed?
The entry is 150–300 bytes, which gives a 49 to 69 module code. On an invitation held in the hand, 3 cm is the minimum and 4 cm is comfortable. On a poster read from two metres, go to 20 cm. Keep the quiet zone and avoid printing over textured or foil paper.
Related
Last updated . QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED. Open-source engines are listed on the how it works page.