Events
An event is a date you care about, displayed as a live countdown or count-up timer.
Creating an event
- Click + New Event in the navigation bar (you must be logged in).
- Fill in the event form (see the field descriptions below).
- Click Create Event. You are taken to the event page with the live ticker running.
Event fields
Title
The name of your event. Required. Keep it short and descriptive, for example: Moon landing, My graduation, or 1000 days sober.
Date and time
Any date in the past or future. Use the date picker to select a date and time. You also choose the timezone — by default your browser timezone is used. The date is stored in UTC and displayed correctly for every visitor in their own timezone.
Direction
| Option | What it shows | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Count up | Time elapsed since the date | Anniversaries, milestones, sobriety dates, founding dates |
| Count down | Time remaining until the date | Upcoming events, deadlines, birthdays, launches |
Display style
| Style | Description |
|---|---|
| Counter | A large live text ticker showing years, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. |
| Ring | An animated circular progress ring. Best for events with a clear end date within the current year. |
Waiting since
Optional. Sets an alternative start date for the count-up display — useful when you have been anticipating an event for longer than it has existed on elapso. Leave blank to use the event creation date.
Description
Optional free-text field. Describe the event, add context, or tell a story.
Category
Choose from the predefined list (Anniversaries, Birthdays, History, Science & Space, Sports, Technology, Culture, Personal Milestones, World Events, School, Free Time, Family, Holidays, Work, Friends). A category lets your event appear in the Catalog and improves discoverability.
Visibility
| Option | Who can see it |
|---|---|
| Public | Everyone, including visitors who are not logged in. Appears in the catalog, search, and map. |
| Private | Only you. Never appears in public listings. |
Cover image
Optional photo for the event page. Images are resized automatically to a maximum of 1200 px and converted to JPEG. The recommended aspect ratio is 16:9 or wider.
Tags
Comma-separated keywords, for example: space, history, personal. Tags make your event searchable with the #tag syntax in the search bar.
Allow comments
Controls whether other logged-in users can post comments on your event page. Enabled by default.
Location
Optional. Type a city or address in the location field and pick a suggestion from the list. The event will then appear on the global map and be searchable by country and city. The location pin is shown on the event page.
Series
Optionally assign the event to one of your series. See the Series help page for details.
Editing an event
Open the event page and click Edit. Only the creator of an event can edit it. All fields can be changed at any time.
Deleting an event
Open the event page, click Delete, and confirm. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. All comments, reactions, and folder memberships are also removed.
Following an event
On any public event page created by someone else, click Follow. The event appears on your dashboard under Events I'm Following, with its own live ticker. Click Unfollow to remove it.
Email subscriptions
On any public event page, click Subscribe to receive an email notification when the event is approaching or when it passes. Click Unsubscribe to cancel. You can see all your subscriptions at Subscriptions in the account menu.
Reactions
React to any event with one of four emoji: 🔥 (fire), 👀 (eyes), ❤️ (heart), or 🎉 (party). Click the same emoji again to remove your reaction. You can use each emoji once per event.
Time capsule
On any event page, you can write a private time capsule message — a note to your future self. The message is only visible to you. You can update it at any time. Time capsules are ideal for countdown events: write how you feel in anticipation, and read it back when the moment arrives.
Comments
Logged-in users can comment on any event where the creator has enabled comments. Comments are public. The event creator can delete any comment on their event. You can also delete your own comments.