Summary:
If updating your WordPress theme causes the Events Calendar plugin to break or pages to go blank, the issue is likely due to compatibility conflicts between the theme and plugin. This guide shows how to identify and fix these conflicts, using a recent case involving the Impreza theme and The Events Calendar (TEC) plugin as an example.
Issue background
After updating a WordPress site’s theme and attempting to update The Events Calendar plugin, the events archive page began displaying a blank screen. This is a frequent problem when using advanced themes like Impreza alongside dynamic content plugins such as TEC.
In this situation, both the theme and plugin had pending updates, but updating them directly resulted in display issues.
Diagnosis
- Replicate on staging first
Always create or use a staging site (e.g., via WP Engine or similar) to test updates before applying them to a live site. - Check for blank or broken templates
After updating the theme or plugin, visit the archive pages (like/events/) to see if the page loads correctly. A blank page often indicates a PHP error or template conflict. - Research known conflicts
Reference known issues on the theme or plugin support forums. In this case, Impreza’s support forum confirmed a common conflict between its templates and TEC’s archive view when both are updated independently.
Resolution steps
- Update both theme and plugin fully
Ensure both the Impreza theme and The Events Calendar plugin are updated to their latest versions. Incompatibilities often occur when only one component is updated. - Adjust Events archive settings
In the WordPress dashboard, navigate to Events → Settings → Display. Change the setting for “Events template” or “Archive display” based on recommendations (e.g., selecting “Default Events Template” instead of theme-specific layouts). - Clear cache and regenerate permalinks
Go to Settings → Permalinks and click “Save” to refresh rewrite rules. Clear any server or plugin-based caches. - Verify live site once staging is fixed
After confirming the archive page works properly in staging, apply the same theme and plugin updates and settings changes to the live site.
Final outcome
By identifying a display conflict between the Impreza theme and The Events Calendar plugin, the site was restored by syncing updates and adjusting template display settings. The events archive now functions correctly on both staging and live environments.
Having trouble after plugin or theme updates? Contact Freshy — we can help identify the cause and safely restore your site’s functionality.
