If you are new to submitting to our online events calendar, here is a step-by-step guide to help you with your submissions.

Our online calendar is powered by CivicLift, a dynamic platform that functions as Litchfield County's one-stop resource for local events, curated day trips, job openings, and places to explore. In order to submit an event to our calendar, first you need to create a CivicLift account. (It's free!)

Our online calendar is not the only calendar powered by CivicLift. Others include: Discover Litchfield Hills (region-wide tourism site), and the online calendars for the towns of Litchfield, North Canaan, Falls Village, Morris, Barkhamsted, Kent, Goshen, Washington, Cornwall and Torrington, and the list continues to grow. With one submission, your event is published to our calendar (for arts- & culture-specific events), Discover Litchfield Hills' and your town's! It provides an efficient way to promote what you do to a wider audience.

Once you have created an account on CivicLift, you can submit your Single-day event or Event Series. The following is a step-by-step guide on how to get your events posted on the calendar.

Step 1: Click "Submit an event"

You can do this in your account profile, or if you want to see your events history, click on "Your Events" on the menu on the left. There is a "Submit an Event" option on this page, too.

Step 2: Fill out the form with your event info

There are certain limitations and nuances in the events submission form that you should be aware of if you are using CivicLift for the first time. Here are some tips to make the process easier for you.

TITLE

Keep your title brief, clean, and direct. Titles are limited to 70 characters.

DESCRIPTION

Descriptions are limited to 2000 characters. We recommend adding a short paragraph describing your event, parking/accessibility details (if applicable), and other details about your event that are not covered by the fields in the submission form. You also have the option to add hyperlinks.

WHEN

Understanding the difference between a Single-day and an Event Series submission is important. For a Single-day event, one submission = one record of the event on the online calendar. When you select the Event Series option, you will be prompted to select the date range and recurrence pattern (examples: weekly, monthly, every 3rd Sunday, etc). If your event is every day for a span of time, you can select "Daily."

You will be able to see a preview of how your event will be listed in the "Summary" box. Double check to make sure that it is accurate before submitting.

Once you submit an Event Series, CivicLift creates a record for each day that the event occurs. If you make a mistake, you can edit your events by clicking on "Your Events" on the menu on the left, and then click the "Edit" button for the event you would like to change. If you need to update information for all of the records of your ongoing/repeating event, make sure you check "Update all following events in series" at the bottom of the form before submitting.

CATEGORIES

The Arts Council's online calendar only filters in arts- and culture-related events that are labeled with these specific categories: Music, Arts, History & Culture, Family & Education, Film & Media, and Fashion. However, you can still submit events under the other categories through our site and they will appear on Discover Litchfield Hills' and/or your town's calendar.

Subcategory, Dress Code, and Tags are all optional fields.

VENUE/PLACE

Search for your venue - if it already exists, it will come up as a Place in the drop down menu. If your venue does not appear when you search for it, you have the option to add it manually to your submission. Check "My event's venue is not available in the CivicLift Places directory" and a new form will appear for you to add the proper information about your venue.

You also have the option to submit an online event and include a link to the event.

ORGANIZER INFO

This information will be posted PUBLICLY on your event listing! If you do not want your personal phone number or email listed, leave these fields blank.

Step 3: Submit your event!

Event submissions need to go through an approval process, but your event will be public on the regional online calendars within 24 - 48 hours.

Once your event is approved, it is then automatically pushed out to multiple places in a network of local promotion.

As mentioned above, you can always go back and edit your online events.

Thank you for submitting your events to the regional online calendar and for contributing to the vibrant culture of our area!

Note for Arts Council Members

Arts Council members' events will also be included in our monthly print calendar when submitted online before the monthly deadlines. The print calendar is mailed directly to our members and donors each month - approximately 300 contacts. As a member, you will also receive discounts on advertising in the print calendar.

Member events are prioritized when curating our weekly email newsletters, too (approximately 1600 subscribers).

If you are interested in learning more about Arts Council membership and other benefits, click here.

To sign up for Print Calendar Deadline Reminders, click here.