The holiday season brings with it a busy schedule of fun festivities. Whether it’s for work, family, or a gathering of close friends, everyone loves a joyful celebration. Spirits are high, and it’s a musician’s job to keep it that way with an awesome holiday party playlist.
From high-energy jams to classic faves to new modern mixes, variety is the key to a great night of merry music. Get ready for your upcoming gigs by building the perfect holiday setlist with these song suggestions!
Start with high-energy holiday hits
Begin with some upbeat holiday music to help guests get excited and get their toes tapping. You can even remix certain classics by upping the tempo or adjusting the arrangement to make them more lively. Take cues from bands like Twisted Sister and Bowling for Soup who have created their own takes on holiday songs by other artists.
❤️ “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” – Brenda Lee
💚 “Jingle Bell Rock” – Bobby Helms
❤️ “Frosty the Snowman” (remix) – Bowling For Soup
💚 “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” (remix) – Twisted Sister
❤️ “Run Run Rudolph” – Chuck Berry
Don’t forget the favorites
Of course, there is always an appropriate time to slow it down a bit. No holiday party would be complete without hearing some ultimate classics. Add a little interactive fun for your guests by including sing-along favorites on your holiday setlist.
❄️ “White Christmas” – Bing Crosby
⛄ “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” – Judy Garland
❄️ “Feliz Navidad” – José Felicicano
⛄ “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” – The Jackson 5
❄️ “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” – John Williams
🎶 Do you need a playlist for in-between sets? Check out GigSalad’s holiday playlist on Spotify!
Mix in the modern
Include some more modern pop hits to round out your holiday setlist. Mariah Carey, Wham!, Paul McCartney, and even Justin Beiber’s Christmas tunes are excellent additions to any holiday celebration.
🎄 “All I Want for Christmas is You” – Mariah Carey
🎅 “Last Christmas” – Wham!
🎄 “Wonderful Christmas Time” – Paul McCartney
🎅 “Santa Baby” – Eartha Kitt
🎄 “Mistletoe” – Justin Bieber
Keep up with the kiddos
If the holiday party is a family affair, then it’s important not to forget about the kiddos. Add some songs for the youngsters to ensure the children at the party have just as much fun as the adults.
🎁 “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” – Burl Ives
🤶 “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” – Thurl Ravenscroft
🎁 “All I Want for Christmas is a Hula Hoop” – The Chipmunks
🤶 “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” – The Jackson 5
🎁 “Up on the House Top” – The Jackson 5
As Maya Angelou said, “… people will never forget how you made them feel.” We hope these suggestions will help you enhance the joy and nostalgia the holiday season brings for your clients so they will ask you to help bring the warm and fuzzy feelings back year after year.
👉 You might also like: How to Build a Setlist for Any Event
Tune up your profile for the holidays
Keeping your GigSalad profile and online presence fresh is always important, especially during important seasons like this one. Consider the kind of events clients might be planning and how you might fit into them. Then, optimize your profile to reflect that vision.
Show you’re the perfect entertainer for the occasion by adding some holiday favorites to your audio samples and uploading videos of Christmas song performances. Tweak your overview to promote holiday-specific services, and don’t forget to add your holiday setlist as well. Making a few quick edits can help you land extra holiday gigs this year!
👍 Be prepared for everything this holiday season! How to Handle Holiday Gig Challenges
Sonia is a Customer Happiness Agent at GigSalad and uses the knowledge she’s gained from helping both the vendor and client through the booking process to give her best event planning advice. When she’s not at work she enjoys the outdoors, a good book, trying new recipes, and spending quality time with her husband and their furbabies.