About EntertainmentCalendar.com

EntertainmentCalendar.com is America's online network of local web sites that showcase the wealth of events, resources, and opportunities available in local areas. We currently have two properties in each of 45 regions across the U.S. and Canada: KidsOutAndAbout.com and BeyondTheNest.com.

Our Story

KidsOutAndAbout.com has been online since 2001. It was a time when the Internet itself was still a toddler, an era before social media, before blogs, before YouTube, even before web calendars. Debra Ross, KidsOutAndAbout's founder (and EntertainmentCalendar.com's current publisher), launched the site in Rochester, NY. At the time, Ross, a technology consultant to the direct commerce industry, had a toddler and one on the way; she was coming to understand how much Rochester had available for kids, teens, and families, but she was finding out about it all after it had already happened. There ought to be a web site to let folks know what's happening in advance, she thought. So she started KidsOutAndAbout.com while on her maternity leave from her other business.

The Expansion

By 2009, the available technology had caught up with Ross's vision, so she reinvented the site on a new content management system to allow for expansion to areas beyond Rochester. There are currently 45 regional sites across the U.S. and Canada, all managed by a dedicated staff of just under 30 team members. Click here to view those sites and select your local region.

Each region also features a free weekly e-newsletter that provides scintillating wit and penetrating insight in addition to lists of things to do and places to go; it is sent each Thursday morning and will become your indispensable guide to trying new things and finding the best and most cost-effective options for local fun. Be sure to sign up using the FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER link on the menu at the top. (You can also "Like" KidsOutAndAbout's local sites on Facebook and find them on other social media, but the dominant connection with our readers is our newsletter.)

KidsOutAndAbout.com MAP APP

In January, 2018, we released a free KidsOutAndAbout.com MAP APP, which allows you to see everything on our calendar on a regional map and get details about things happening near you. Click here to download our app for iPhone (Android coming soon!).

BeyondTheNest.com

In 2015, an audience of parents whose kids had grown up with KidsOutAndAbout.com started petitioning for their own site: Their kids had left the nest, and the parents were now free to explore more of their regions' options for grownups. So in 2016, the team created BeyondTheNest.com for an audience eager to explore each area's arts, culture, and recreation scene. These sites have their own calendar, lists of resources, and local newsletters.

EntertainmentCalendar.com

In early 2018, Kids Out And About, LLC, acquired EntertainmentCalendar.com, it now serves as the umbrella site for KidsOutAndAbout.com, BeyondTheNest.com, and future properties currently in development. 

How does EntertainmentCalendar.com work?

 Any organization in a local region that provides activities and resources can have a FREE organization listing on KidsOutAndAbout.com, BeyondTheNest.com, or both. Organizations that are appropriate to both audiences (the majority do cross over) need manage only a single listing; each time they post to our calendar they are prompted to click the calendars on which the event should appear. In addition to the Events calendar, KidsOutAndAbout.com also has a comprehensive separate Camp calendar.

If your organization would like to have a free listing: It's EASY! Click here for more information about how to get a login, add an organization, and add activities.

Who runs EntertainmentCalendar.com?

Our team is composed of members in our editorial, technology, data entry, and sales departments, as well as a publisher and VP of Operations to make sure everything hums along smoothly. The majority come to work IRL in our offices in Pittsford, NY, and the rest are scattered around the globe and work remotely.

We are funded exclusively through advertising, both on our sites, on our app, and in our e-newsletter. We are extremely careful about the ads we permit on our site, and you'll notice that most of it is local. Our goal is that our ads enhance your reading experience rather than detract from it. (Really!) We only accept advertising from those who provide valuable resources for our audiences, rather than random nonsense that is creepily displayed through an unaffiliated ad service <shudder>. 

How do I contact you?

Click here for our Contact Us page to select the right person to contact.

Help us provide this community resource!

Please let us know about events and organizations that we haven't yet listed on the site! Head over to the Contact Us page and email your local editor.