# Apify Google Events Tracking

> Track Google Events listings as structured JSON with the Apify Google Events Scraper Actor (johnvc/google-events-api---access-google-events-data). Give it a search query like concerts in Chicago plus an optional location and date filter, and get one row per results page with a nested events array, title, start_date, when, address, venue name and rating, ticket_info seller links, and image per event. Re-run the same input on a schedule and diff by event link to catch new or dropped listings. Use when the user wants google events tracking, wants to track or monitor Google Events for a city, venue, artist, or competitor, watch for new concerts, conferences, or festivals, or export Google Events results to JSON or CSV. Pay-per-page billing, MCP-ready for Claude and other AI agents.

- Skill: `johnisanerd/apify-google-events-tracking` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add johnisanerd/apify-google-events-tracking`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/johnisanerd/apify-google-events-tracking/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Data & Analytics
- License: MIT
- Author: johnisanerd (https://skillmd.com/u/johnisanerd)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/johnisanerd/apify-google-events-tracking

---


# Google Events Tracking: Watch Listings as Structured JSON

Track Google Events with the Apify Google Events Scraper. Give it a search query, an optional location, and a date window, and get structured event rows you can export, diff across runs, and watch on a schedule.

## When to use this skill

- The user wants google events tracking: watching a city, venue, artist, or competitor for new events.
- They want to export Google Events results (concerts, conferences, festivals, sports, theater, virtual events) to JSON or CSV.
- They want an event dataset for market research or a recurring scan of what is coming up.
- They ask to "track events", "monitor Google Events", or "watch for new concerts in my city".

Not for: ticket price history (`ticket_info` carries seller links, not numeric prices), attendance or RSVP data (Google Events does not publish it), or past events (the source lists upcoming events only).

## What you get (one row per results page)

Each dataset row is one page of results holding a nested `events` array, about 10 events per page. Per event: `title`, `date` (`start_date` and `when` display strings), `address` (venue and city lines), `link`, `description`, `ticket_info` (per-seller `source`, `link`, `link_type`, `source_icon`), `venue` (`name`, `rating`, `reviews`, `link`, when present), and `image`. Page level: `search_parameters` (echo of your input), `search_metadata` (`events_count`, `total_results`, `pages_processed`, `pagination_limit_reached`, and related counts), `page_number`, `search_timestamp`, plus `hit_chips` and `filters` when Google offers them.

## Prerequisites

- Apify account (sign up at https://apify.com?fpr=9n7kx3&fp_sid=skillrepo).
- Authentication via `apify login`, or an `APIFY_TOKEN` environment variable (Apify Console, Settings, Integrations).

## The Actor

- Store page: https://apify.com/johnvc/google-events-api---access-google-events-data?fpr=9n7kx3&fp_sid=skillrepo
- Actor ID: `johnvc/google-events-api---access-google-events-data`
- Pricing: pay per page of results processed, plus a small per-run setup fee (see `references/gotchas.md`).

## Run it with the Apify CLI

Track a city's weekend events:

```bash
apify actors call "johnvc/google-events-api---access-google-events-data" -i '{"q":"events in Chicago","location":"Chicago, IL","gl":"us","hl":"en","advanced":"date:weekend","max_pages":2}' \
  --json \
  --user-agent apify-awesome-skills/apify-google-events-tracking \
  2>/dev/null
```

Watch a single venue or artist:

```bash
apify actors call "johnvc/google-events-api---access-google-events-data" -i '{"q":"Morris Performing Arts Center events","gl":"us","hl":"en","max_pages":1}' \
  --json \
  --user-agent apify-awesome-skills/apify-google-events-tracking \
  2>/dev/null
```

Every call carries the three flags this repo expects: `--json`, `--user-agent apify-awesome-skills/apify-google-events-tracking`, and `2>/dev/null`.

## Run it from Claude or another AI agent (MCP)

The Actor is MCP-ready. Add the hosted server URL:

`https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/google-events-api---access-google-events-data`

Then ask, for example: "Track Google Events for jazz concerts in New Orleans this month and flag anything new since last week." MCP setup docs: https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp

## Workflow

1. Build the query. `q` is the only required field and behaves like the Google Events search bar: "concerts in Chicago", "tech conferences", an artist, or a venue name. Add `location` to bias results when the query itself is not location-specific.
2. Pin the locale. Set `gl` (country) and `hl` (language) on every tracked query; without them Google localizes to the serving region and text fields can come back in another language.
3. Narrow the window. Use `advanced` hit-chip tokens for the tracking window: `date:today`, `date:tomorrow`, `date:week`, `date:weekend`, `date:next_week`, `date:month`, `date:next_month`, or `event_type:Virtual-Event`. Combine tokens with commas.
4. Bound the volume. `max_pages` defaults to 1 (about 10 events) and is the cost cap. Avoid `max_pages: 0` (no limit) on tracked queries.
5. Run, then diff. Key each run's events on `link` (or `title` plus `date.start_date`) and compare with the previous run to find added and dropped listings. For recurring tracking, wrap the same input in an Apify Schedule.

## Inputs

- `q` (string, required): Google Events search query
- `location` (string): geographic bias, for example "Austin, Texas, United States"
- `gl` (enum, ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 lowercase): country code
- `hl` (enum, ISO 639-1 lowercase): language code
- `advanced` (string): comma-separated hit-chip tokens (listed above); invalid tokens are rejected at run start before any charges
- `max_pages` (integer, default 1): pages to fetch, 0 = no limit
- `output_file` (string): optional filename for a JSON copy of the results

## Cost

Billing is pay per event: a $0.02 per-run setup fee plus about $0.02 per page of results on the free tier, with negligible per-start and per-row fees. A 1-page tracking poll is about $0.04, and a daily 1-page poll about $1.20 per month. Estimate first; live prices and thresholds are in `references/gotchas.md`.

## Honest limits

- One dataset row per page, not per event; the events live in the nested `events` array, so flatten before loading into a sheet.
- `date.start_date` and `date.when` are display strings ("Jul 17", "Tomorrow, 7:00 PM"), not ISO timestamps; parse them client-side before date filtering.
- `ticket_info` carries seller links and link types, not numeric prices, so this is not a price tracker.
- The `venue` block (rating, reviews) is missing on some events; treat it as optional.
- Google Events lists upcoming events; history exists only if you tracked it.

## Troubleshooting

- Results in the wrong language: set `gl` and `hl` explicitly; unset runs localize to the serving region.
- Empty `events` array: the query is too narrow or the date window has no inventory; widen or drop `advanced`.
- `pagination_limit_reached: true` in metadata: expected when Google had more pages than `max_pages`; raise it if you need more.
- Input error at start mentioning `advanced`: an invalid hit-chip token; use only the listed tokens (`date:month`, not `date:thismonth`).

See `references/gotchas.md` for cost guardrails and error recovery, and `references/actor-index.md` for the Actor routing table.

## Related local-data Actors

- Google Maps Directions API (route to a venue): https://apify.com/johnvc/google-maps-directions-api?fpr=9n7kx3&fp_sid=skillrepo
- Google Hotels Search Scraper (stay near an event): https://apify.com/johnvc/google-hotels-search-scraper?fpr=9n7kx3&fp_sid=skillrepo
- Google Flights Data Scraper (travel to an event city): https://apify.com/johnvc/Google-Flights-Data-Scraper-Flight-and-Price-Search?fpr=9n7kx3&fp_sid=skillrepo