Calendar Category Plug in

Hi, I am building a directory for local events and having categories based on location and the event date is what users want in the search bar.

Is there are way of making one of the search fields for a date, for example you can search for a date and get results showing what is on that day?

Also, is there a way of having a ‘recent listings’ box on the font page that would show ‘upcoming events’ and as the date passes refresh to show the next upcoming events?

I guess I am trying to make a directorypress responsive theme work based on time (date) + place (category) – these are the two most relevant variables for search.

Any suggestions or plug ins would be great!