Great Addon, great Support
Had a minor issue with displaying information in the Resume Manager. Opened a ticket and had the issue fixed the same day. Great job!
BuddyPress · Free · Widget
Members' birthdays pass by unnoticed on your community site.
BuddyPress has no built-in way to mark a member's birthday. This plugin reads each member's birthdate profile field and lists upcoming birthdays in a sidebar widget, or anywhere you drop the [bp_birthdays] shortcode, so the community can send wishes on the day it matters. Ages show beside each name unless you switch them off.
v2.5.0BuddyPress Birthday Widget changelogUpdated Jul 2026
Requires BuddyPress · Free forever · Unlimited sites
How it shows up
One list, placed wherever your community reads it.
Sidebar widget
Adds to any widget area
Add the Birthday widget from Appearance > Widgets. It lists whose birthday is coming up next, reading each member's birthdate profile field. Place it in more than one area and each instance keeps its own settings, so a group page can show a shorter list than the homepage.
Shortcode
[bp_birthdays] on any page or post
The same list renders outside a sidebar through the shortcode, with attributes for the title, how many members to list, the range, the date format and the rest of the widget settings.
Wish link
An envelope that opens a private message
Each row can carry an envelope link titled Send birthday wishes. It opens the BuddyPress Messages compose screen with that member already in the recipient field, so the wish goes as a private message. The link needs the Messages component active and shows to logged-in members only.
List controls
You choose who is listed and how far ahead
Limit the list to no limit, the next 7 days or the next 30 days. Show all members, or narrow it to friends or followings when those components are active. Pick the name style, write your own date format, and choose a cake, balloon or party emoji, or none at all.
Display extras
Zodiac symbols and a confetti effect
The Display tab adds a zodiac symbol beside each date, and a confetti animation on members whose birthday is today. Both start switched off, and the confetti sits out entirely for visitors who ask for reduced motion.
Member privacy
Anyone can hide their own birthday
A checkbox on BuddyPress Settings > General reads "Hide my birthday everywhere on this site", and it covers the widget, the activity feed, notifications and emails in one move. The bb_birthday_user_opted_out filter wires the same decision to a consent store if you keep one.
On the day
The widget is the quiet half. This is the rest.
A daily job runs at a time you set and works through whoever has a birthday. Each of the four channels below starts switched off, so nothing reaches your members until you turn it on from WB Plugins > Birthdays in the WordPress admin.
-
A BuddyPress email type the plugin registers and installs, so you edit the wording under Emails like any other BuddyPress message. Tokens cover the member name, their age and the site name.
Off until you enable it -
Posts a Birthday Celebrations entry on the member's birthday. The default reads "Today is {name}'s birthday! Send your wishes!" and you can rewrite it with {name}, {age} and {profile_url} placeholders.
Off until you enable it -
Sends a BuddyPress notification pointing at the birthday member's profile. Send it to the whole membership, or restrict it to that member's friends.
Off until you enable it -
One message listing every birthday that day, sent to the address you nominate, so nobody on the team has to go looking.
Off until you enable it
Settings live under WB Plugins > Birthdays, split across Overview, General, Email Notifications, Activity Feed, Notifications and Display tabs.
Pricing
Free, with no feature gate.
Everything the plugin does, in one free download. Nothing is held back for a paid edition, because there is no paid edition. Free forever, on unlimited sites, with no licence key to enter. BuddyPress needs to be active.
- Upcoming birthdays widget for any sidebar
- Multiple widget instances, each with its own settings
- [bp_birthdays] shortcode for pages and posts
- Age display, on or off per widget
- Range limit of no limit, the next 7 days or the next 30 days
- Audience filter for all members, friends or followings
- Optional birthday email, activity post and member notifications
- Per-member privacy opt-out on BuddyPress settings
Before you install
Questions community operators ask.
Question not listed? Ask the team behind this plugin.
- 01
What does BuddyPress Birthday Widget do?
It reads each member's birthdate profile field and lists upcoming birthdays, either in a sidebar widget or through the [bp_birthdays] shortcode, so the community can wish members on the day.
- 02
Can I hide member ages?
Yes. Each widget has its own age toggle, and with it off the list shows only the name and date. Two widgets on the same site can disagree, because the setting belongs to the widget rather than the site.
- 03
How do I add it to my site?
Install and activate the plugin, then add the Birthday widget to any widget-ready area from Appearance > Widgets. For a page or post, use the [bp_birthdays] shortcode instead.
- 04
Can I use more than one birthday widget?
Yes. You can place the widget in multiple sidebars or page areas, each configured on its own.
- 05
What does it need to run?
BuddyPress. The plugin header declares BuddyPress as a required plugin, so WordPress will not let you activate it without BuddyPress present, and the birthdate itself comes from a BuddyPress profile field.
- 06
Can members wish each other from the widget?
Each row can show an envelope link titled Send birthday wishes. It opens the BuddyPress Messages compose screen with that member already filled in as the recipient, so the wish is sent as a private message from there. The link needs the Messages component active, and it only shows to members who are logged in.
- 07
Does it email members automatically?
Only once you ask it to. Birthday greeting emails, activity posts, member notifications and the daily admin summary all ship switched off, and each is enabled separately under WB Plugins > Birthdays.
- 08
Can a member keep their birthday private?
Yes. BuddyPress Settings > General carries a checkbox reading "Hide my birthday everywhere on this site", which removes that member from the widget, the activity feed, notifications and emails at once. Developers can drive the same decision from a consent store with the bb_birthday_user_opted_out filter.
- 09
Is support available if I run into an issue?
Yes, documentation and support are available through the Wbcom Designs support channels.
Add birthday reminders to your community today.
Install the plugin, add the widget to a sidebar, and upcoming birthdays start showing as soon as members have a birthdate set on their profile.
Free forever · Unlimited sites · No feature locks