Looking for party music ideas? Our top 10 party playlists

Music has such an impact on the atmosphere of a party. Along with lighting and decoration, music really helps to set the mood – within minutes of arrival, guests will quickly understand the type of party just by the music that is playing.

If yours is a huge event you will almost certainly want to hire a DJ and/or have some form of live music as entertainment. But if you’re planning a smaller, more intimate event you may be faced with the challenge of space – especially if you’re hosting in your home or have booked a small function room in a venue. Plus there’s budget to consider – it would be lovely to have a string quartet playing throughout dinner or a pianist effortlessly tinkling on the ivories for hours, but good performers don’t come cheap!

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So what’s the alternative?

Well you could line up a few CDs and remember to keep them playing. You could put your iPod on shuffle or you could spend hours putting together a playlist from your music collection. Alternatively, you could turn to Spotify, where all the hard work has been done for you! Spotify has a vast range of playlists for just about every occasion – it’s a great way of finding collections of music that have been curated by experts. You might not know every piece – so it’s also a great way of discovering new artists – but you can be confident that all the songs in a playlist work together really well and that the sophisticated dinner you’ve planned isn’t suddenly interrupted by the accidental inclusion of a Stormsy track in your homemade playlist!

We think Spotify works really well when you simply need background music that creates a certain ambience without imposing on your guests’ natural desire to chat over a dinner. Whether you’re arranging a special dinner party to celebrate a milestone birthday – from turning 21 to raising a glass or three because you’ve hit 50 or 60 – or are busy planning a wedding breakfast for your very nearest and dearest, there will be a Spotify playlist to suit the mood and your musical taste. Here are some of our favourites:

Who better to have crooning in the background at a smart drinks reception or dinner than Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin? Tux’s also includes some contemporary greats, such as Adele and Sam Smith, for a great mix of classy tracks.
Black Tie Dinner is pretty much what it says on the can! From Otis Redding to Tom Odell and James Bay, this is a great playlist for a stylish dinner and your guests will be glad they dressed up for the occasion.
There’s no reason why dinner shouldn’t be accompanied by more lively music and Upbeat Dinner Party is a great playlist of songs that everyone will love, including Budapest by George Ezra and the late great Amy Winehouse singing You Know I’m No Good.
If you fancied hiring a pianist but couldn’t fit a baby grand in the room, then Spotify’s Piano in Background has to be the next best thing.
Sophisticated Dinner is a fabulous mix of jazz, pop and soul music, perfect for an elegant evening with good friends. Enjoy 70 tracks by artists such as Sade, Harry Connick Jr and Bruno Mars.
If you love jazz, then Jazzy Dinner will provide the perfect background music for your party. 59 instrumental jazz tracks will keep the atmosphere suitably cool and sophisticated.
Looking for something a little more funky and uplifting? Try Feel Good Dinner , featuring over 180 tracks by a mix of Indie, Nu-Disco and Soul artists.
If you’re planning a special dinner with good friends, then why not pick the Dinner with Friends playlist and invite musical friends such as Ed Sheeran, Jack Johnson and Coldplay to add to the ambience!
50^th Birthday Party provides several hours’ worth of great songs from across the decades, including hits by Madonna, Stevie Wonder and Chic – guaranteed to get toes tapping under the table!
Or how about a playlist that celebrates a particular era? If you’re about to mark your wedding anniversary and married back in the eighties, then Hits of the 80’s will be perfect for your party. Bonnie Tyler, Wham!, The Eurythmics, Rick Astley and many, many others will create a fun and nostalgic atmosphere for your party.