diff --git a/src/parsers.ts b/src/parsers.ts
index 6e68b76..dabca8c 100644
--- a/src/parsers.ts
+++ b/src/parsers.ts
@@ -23,9 +23,15 @@ export function parseRawEvents(
   return {
     latestLedger: r.latestLedger,
     events: (r.events ?? []).map((evt) => {
+      const clone: Omit<SorobanRpc.RawEventResponse, 'contractId'> = { ...evt };
+      delete (clone as any).contractId; // `as any` hack because contractId field isn't optional
+
+      // the contractId may be empty so we omit the field in that case
       return {
-        ...evt,
-        contractId: new Contract(evt.contractId),
+        ...clone,
+        ...(evt.contractId !== '' && {
+          contractId: new Contract(evt.contractId)
+        }),
         topic: evt.topic.map((topic) => xdr.ScVal.fromXDR(topic, 'base64')),
         value: xdr.ScVal.fromXDR(evt.value.xdr, 'base64')
       };
diff --git a/src/soroban_rpc.ts b/src/soroban_rpc.ts
index 6f90fd4..a0f9dc1 100644
--- a/src/soroban_rpc.ts
+++ b/src/soroban_rpc.ts
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ export namespace SorobanRpc {
   }
 
   interface EventResponse extends BaseEventResponse {
-    contractId: Contract;
+    contractId?: Contract;
     topic: xdr.ScVal[];
     value: xdr.ScVal;
   }
diff --git a/test/unit/server/get_events_test.js b/test/unit/server/get_events_test.js
index 8beee19..1649b28 100644
--- a/test/unit/server/get_events_test.js
+++ b/test/unit/server/get_events_test.js
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ describe('Server#getEvents', function () {
       })
       .then(function (response) {
         expect(response).to.be.deep.equal(parseEvents(result));
+        expect(response.events[0].contractId).to.be.undefined;
         done();
       })
       .catch(done);
@@ -238,7 +239,7 @@ let getEventsResponseFixture = [
     type: 'system',
     ledger: '1',
     ledgerClosedAt: '2022-11-16T16:10:41Z',
-    contractId,
+    contractId: '',
     id: '0164090849041387521-0000000003',
     pagingToken: '164090849041387521-3',
     inSuccessfulContractCall: true,