Close for holidays and set the widget's active dates

Included in all packagesBackofficeFor managers

Needs: Any staff user with access to the location

Two settings handle longer periods: Holidays close a range of dates completely, and Widget Reservation Active Dates limit the period in which the online widget accepts bookings (for example a seasonal terrace).

Where to find it

Backoffice › Planning › Service Calendar › General Settings. The window shows Widget Reservation Active Dates and Holidays.

What it does

  • Holidays ("Manage dates when the restaurant is closed"). Each holiday closes every date in its range. The calendar shows those days as Closed, and the widget can't book them. Existing Holidays lists all fully closed dates and ranges.
  • Widget Reservation Active Dates ("Control when the widget accepts reservations"). Set Active From and Active Until. Dates outside this range are blocked in the widget. Set either side to Indefinite to leave it open-ended. The calendar marks paused dates with "Outside Widget Active Dates — widget will not accept bookings".

How to add a holiday

  1. Open Planning › Service Calendar › General Settings.
  2. Under Holidays, click Add Holidays.
  3. Pick From Date and To Date (or a single date).
  4. Confirm. You see "Holidays created successfully" and the dates turn Closed in the calendar.

To remove one, click Delete holiday next to it in Existing Holidays and confirm.

How to limit the widget to a season

  1. Open General Settings › Widget Reservation Active Dates.
  2. Choose Active From and Active Until, or mark one side Indefinite.
  3. Click Save. The Current Active Range shows what is live.

Good to know

  • Opening a single date inside a holiday (for example with Reopen day or Add one-off shift) wins for that date only; the rest of the holiday stays closed.
  • A date you explicitly open with its own shifts in the Service Calendar is bookable even if it lies outside the Widget Reservation Active Dates.
  • Widget Reservation Active Dates only affect online booking. Your team can still book any date from the Host App.
  • The booking window still applies inside the active range. If the window is 60 days, a season starting in four months is not bookable yet.
  • When a guest tries to book a date outside the active range, the booking is refused with "Selected date is outside widget availability".

Troubleshooting

"Start date must be before or equal to end date" The end date is earlier than the start date. Swap them.

The widget doesn't show any dates even though the season has started Check that Active From is not still in the future and Active Until is not in the past. Then check the booking window in Planning › Booking Rules.

I deleted a holiday but the day is still closed The weekday may have no shifts in Settings › Location hours and shifts, or another closed override covers it. Open the date in the Service Calendar to see its status.

A holiday shows in Existing Holidays that I didn't create as a holiday The list shows every fully closed date, including days you closed one at a time with Set day as closed.