The Ultimate Halloween Party Playlist

Honed through years of throwing very successful Halloween Parties, this Halloween Party Playlist is practically guaranteed to please the entire crowd. This isn’t just a list of songs. This is a list of songs in a carefully crafted order, that took years to perfect.

If you’re planning an adult Halloween Party, especially if you want one where there will be dancing, there are a few critical ingredients to make it a success:

• Decorations
• Costumes
• Booze
• Snacks
• Music

My job, for many years, has been the music… and I take that job VERY seriously.  It started with a fairly simple playlist. But then – each year – I would pay attention to which songs really got the crowd going, and which songs got the crowd leaving the dance floor.

The challenge creating the perfect Halloween Party Playlist was – in part – because of the generation mix of the crowd. We had people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, & 50s in attendance… so just putting the Top 40 on random would NOT work.

Plus, it’s Halloween…. so there are certain songs that are an absolute MUST.

---

---

Year, after year, I tweaked it and changed it.  I even timed it to make sure that the right music would play at the right time.  The results?  A smash hit.  But don’t just take my word for it, here are some actual quotes from previous party goers.

“Oh. My. God. I LOVE this song!”

“I need to sit down for a minute, but the awesome music won’t let me!”

“Are those Cheetos!  I LOVE Cheetos!!!”

“I seem to have lost my drink somewhere.”

“Dude. Hold my Beer!”

This list may not be exactly what you need, but it should give you some inspiration for some of the best Halloween Party Music that has withstood the test of time.  And you’ll notice that I left a few slots in the program to insert some of the current Top 40 songs that everybody loves.  It helps to keep the list fresh, although 90% of it is the exact same music every year.

So – let’s get this party started.

The Warm Up

We always set the party start time at 8 p.m., knowing that practically no one would actually show up at 8 p.m.  Who shows up at a party at the very beginning?  But – just in case someone does – you need to have some music playing.

---

---

This is a good place for some mood-setting music, but you don’t want to use your best stuff at the beginning of the night when just you will hear it.

Halloween Party Playlist  – 8 pm to 9 pm
SONG	ARTIST
Sunshine in a Bag	Gorillaz
Here	Alessia Cara
Stitched up	Herbie Hancock
Undisclosed Desires	Muse
These Words	Natash Beddingfield
My Kind Of Love	Emile Sande
Lose Control	Hedley
So What	Pink
Scandalous	Mistique
You Don’t Own Me	Grace
Tik Tok	Kesha
Lips are Movin’	Meghan Trainor
Something Big	Sean Mendes
Whoa is Me	Down with Webster
Sing	Ed Sheeran
TOP 40 PLACEHOLDER	TBD

Guests Start to Arrive

At this point in the evening, a few guests will start to arrive. Some of these are the “Make an Appearance” folks who will be gone long before midnight.  The music will be at a decent decibel, but not so loud that you can’t have a conversation with the people as they arrive.

---

---

You still don’t want to use up the best songs, but you need to start getting into the Halloween Party Groove.

Halloween Party Playlist  – 9 pm to 10 pm
SONG	ARTIST
The Garden	Mirah
My Hands to Myself	Selena Gomez
TOP 40 PLACEHOLDER	TBD
Gossip Folks	Missy Elliot
Spell on You	Better Midler
You Sexy Thing	Hot Chocolate
Leave Your Hat One	Tom Jones
Night of the Dancing Flame	Roisin Murphy
Fire	Gavin Degraw
Shake That Thing	Sean Paul
Stompa	Serena Ryder
Shut Up and Let Me Go	Ting Tings
Let’s Get Retarded	Black Eyed Peas
Happy	Pharell Williams
Song 2	Blur
Lady Marmalade	Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, Pink
Monster Mash	Bobby Pickett

Things are Heating Up

At this point in the evening, a few more guests have arrived, and the house is starting to fill up.  Drinks are flowing, and the eager people have already started to migrate to the dance floor.  A few of the “Make an Appearance” folks have already left, and a few have decided to stay longer than they expected (it happens every year).

---

---

I like to start out with some Old School stuff to get the party going.  This tends to get the less “I need to be cool” crowd onto the dance floor.  And once people are on the dance floor, you’ve got some momentum going.

And, no, that’s not a typo.  I use back-to-back versions of I Will Survive to do a transition from some of the old school music into a bit more of a modern “hint at what’s to come”.  You’d be very surprised how few people even notice that these two songs are actually the same song by different artists.  But that’s just an indication of how much fun they are having.

Halloween Party Playlist  – 10 pm to 11 pm
SONG	ARTIST
Mustang Sally	The Commitments
Hooked on a Feeling	Blue Swede
Kiss	Tom Jones
Ballroom Blitz	Sweet
Tainted Love	Soft Cell
Come on Eileen	Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Brick House	The Commodores
I Will Survive	Gloria Gaynor
I Will Survive	Cake
End of Time	Beyoncé -JIMEK Remix
TOP 40 PLACEHOLDER	TBD
Low	Flo Rida
Hot In Here	Nelly
Pony	Genuwine
Every Day Is Halloween	Ministry
Everybody Dance Now	C&C Music Factory

It’s Getting Hot in Here

By this time, pretty much anyone who is going to show up to the party is already here. People are well into their supply of drinks. The dance floor has a good crowd. Things have already spilled in places you will regret tomorrow.  Nothing has broken (yet). In other words, the party is going well.

Now’s the time to crank things up to 11.

---

---

Just before the witching hour is when the hard-core Halloween stuff comes out to play.  These are crowd pleasers for practically everyone, young and old alike.

Halloween Party Playlist  – 11 pm to Midnight
SONG	ARTIST
I’m Too Sexy	Right Said Fred
Fun	Pitbull
Get it on Tonight	Michael Jordan
Play That Funky Music White Boy	Wild Cherry
Time Warp	Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Twist	Chubby Checker
YMCA	Village People
Mony Mony	Billy Idol
Love Shack	B52s
Alley Oop	Hollywood Argyles
Thriller	Michael Jackson
Get Off	Prince
Kiss (Prince)	Prince
Sweet Transvestite	Rocky Horror Picture Show
Hey Mama	Black Eye Peas

The Witching Hour

The party is in full-swing at this point. The dance floor is crowded. And there has been at least one dance-off.

---

---

There are other groups in other parts of the house that are not dancing, but they are enjoying the flow of music and the fun times that are happening around them.

Halloween Party Playlist  – 1 am to 2 am
SONG	ARTIST
Milkshake	Kellis
Mambo # 5	Lou Bega
Money (That’s What I Want)	Flying Lizards
Purple People Eater	Jimmy Buffet
Thrift Shop	Macklemore
Blurred Lines	Robin Thicke
Love Like This	Faith Evans
Turn Down for What	DJ Snake & Lil Jon
In the Ayer	FloRida + Will I Am
In Da Club	50 Cent
Red Red Wine	UB40
Rapper’s Delight	Wedding Singer Soundtrack
Vouge	Madonna
Shout	The Isley Brothers

 Keeping the Party Going

At a bar, this would be when the party starts to wind down and last calls are heard.

---

---

But this is a house party, and nobody is ready to go home quite yet (well, except for the remnants from the “Make an Appearance” folks who suddenly realize that their “appearance” has lasted 4+ hours.)

Halloween Party Playlist  – 1 am to 2 am
SONG	ARTIST
Battle Flag	Lo Fidelity Allstars
Closer to God	Nine Inch Nails
#1 Crush	Garbage
Sail	Awolnations
The Way I Are	Timbeland
TOP 40 PLACEHOLDER	TBD
TOP 40 PLACEHOLDER	TBD
You Can Do It	Ice Cube
Dare	Gorillaz
Whine Up	Kat Deluna
Seeya	Deadmau5
Uptown Funk	Bruno Mars
TOP 40 PLACEHOLDER	TBD
Wanna Be	Spice Girls
Ghostbusters	Ray Parker Jr.

And Going…

Some of the crowds have left, a few people who don’t know how to handle their alcohol have passed out somewhere in the house (you’ll find them tomorrow, don’t worry).  But there are still plenty of people who are going strong and loving every minute of it.

---

---

Now is NOT the time to let them off the hook.  But, since the crowds have died down a touch, now you can safely add a couple of Country songs to please those few friends that LOVE country music. Get those songs over with quickly, like ripping off a bandage.

Halloween Party Playlist  – 2 am to 3 am
SONG	ARTIST
Man, I Feel Like a Woman	Shania Twain
Cowboy	Kid Rock
Scream and Shout	Will I Am / Britney Spears
Bad	Michael Jackson
Move This	Technotrinc
That Girl	Maxi Priest
Crank That	Soulja Boy
Tambourine	Eve
TOP 40 PLACEHOLDER	TBD
Love Cats	Cure
Jump Around	House of Pain
Without Me	Eminem
Take Me Out	Franz Ferdinand
Numb	Linkin Park
Party Like a Rockstar	Shop Boys
Walk Like an Egyptian	Bangles

Winding Down

All great things must eventually come to an end, even your amazing Halloween Party.

However, you don’t want to let the music be the cause of the winding down (unless you’re really tired and you really want the party to end NOW so that you can really just go to bed).

I keep some great songs in this slot, but not the greatest. This isn’t the B-crew. It’s more like the B+ crew.

---

---

As the hour progresses, these songs move from “Danceable”, to “Stumble Around Making Drunk Motions”.

And I always conclude the evening’s dancing festivities with a delightful rendition of Boys N’ the Hood by Dynamite Hack. If you haven’t heard it yet, you really should.

Halloween Party Playlist  – 3 am to 4 am
SONG	ARTIST
Naughty Girl	Beyonce
I Want Your Sex	George Michaels
Gimme More	Britney Spears
TOP 40 PLACEHOLDER	TBD
Don’t Cha	Pussycat Dolls
Sexy Back	Justin Timberlake
Too Funky	George Michaels
TOP 40 PLACEHOLDER	TBD
TOP 40 PLACEHOLDER	TBD
Just a Girl	No Doubt
Somebody To Love	Queen
Hey Mama	David Guetta
Try a Little Tenderness	Otis Redding
Red Solo Cup	Toby Keith
Boys N’ The Hood	Dynamite Hack

The Drunken Sing-a-Long for the Stragglers

If your party is anything like mine, there are always a handful of people who just aren’t ready to let this amazing night end.

Everybody is far too tired – or too drunk – to keep dancing. And many in the house are passed out somewhere.

But there is a hearty crowd that wants to keep the night going, and that’s when the drunken sing-a-long happens.  These are some great songs because everybody loves to sing along with them, but they are also powerful enough to drown out most of the terrible, off-key singing of your guests.

---

---

Plus, some of these songs are hard to sing (e.g. Creep) and it’s SUCH fun to watch drunk people try! And before you judge, usually that drunk person who is trying is me.

Finally, nothing ends the evening better than something with deep and meaningful lyrics that nobody will remember in the morning.

Halloween Party Playlist  – To End the Evening
SONG	ARTIST
Been a While	Staind
Mad World	Gary Jules
Drive	Incubus
Creep	Radiohead
How You Remind Me	Nickelback
Barely Breathing	Duncan Sheik
Feeling Good	Michael Buble
Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen	Baz Luhrman

And there you have it.  The completely designed, crafted, and honed Halloween Party Playlist.

I won’t be offended if you decide to rip it apart, ignore it completely, or use it line-by-line. Either way, I hope you enjoy your Halloween Party as much as I have enjoyed mine.

But always remember. Drink responsibly. Drink water before bed. Do NOT let your guests drink and drive. And buy Cheetos.

What is your favorite Halloween song? Let us know in the comments below!

---

---