Free playlist

Office Holiday Party Playlist

55 clean songs for a company holiday party or work Christmas party, in the order the night actually runs. Picked by DJ DX from more than 500 events, including office parties across NYC and New Jersey. Every song is played as a clean or radio edit, and the holiday songs are secular, with no religious carols, so every team feels included.

Arrival and cocktail hour

First 45 to 60 minutes, at conversation level

Low enough that people can actually talk. Soul, smooth R&B and a few warm holiday classics so the room never feels empty.

  1. Lovely DayBill Withers
  2. Let's Stay TogetherAl Green
  3. This ChristmasDonny Hathaway
  4. The Christmas SongNat King Cole
  5. ValerieMark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse
  6. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!Dean Martin
  7. Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm YoursStevie Wonder
  8. Merry Christmas BabyCharles Brown
  9. Every Year, Every ChristmasLuther Vandross
  10. Feliz NavidadJosé Feliciano

R&B and hip-hop Christmas songs (clean)

Mixed in through the night

The holiday songs most office playlists forget: old-school R&B and hip-hop Christmas records that every generation in the room knows.

  1. Christmas in HollisRun-DMC
  2. Christmas Rappin'Kurtis Blow
  3. Let It SnowBoyz II Men
  4. 8 Days of ChristmasDestiny's Child
  5. What Christmas Means to MeStevie Wonder
  6. Santa Tell MeAriana Grande
  7. MistletoeJustin Bieber
  8. Run Rudolph RunChuck Berry

Dinner and speeches

Through the meal and any toasts

Familiar grooves between courses, then the music drops out cleanly for the CEO toast or awards and comes back up after.

  1. SeptemberEarth, Wind & Fire
  2. Ain't No Mountain High EnoughMarvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
  3. All Night Long (All Night)Lionel Richie
  4. TreasureBruno Mars
  5. Get LuckyDaft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams
  6. Jingle Bell RockBobby Helms
  7. Underneath the TreeKelly Clarkson
  8. Can't Stop the Feeling!Justin Timberlake

Dance floor

After dinner, the main set

Open format, mixed live: the songs that fill dance floors at company parties, plus R&B, hip-hop, house and Afrobeats. Once the floor is full, a holiday song every third or fourth track keeps it festive without turning into a carol sing-along.

  1. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)Whitney Houston
  2. Uptown FunkMark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
  3. Shut Up and DanceWalk the Moon
  4. Billie JeanMichael Jackson
  5. All I Want for Christmas Is YouMariah Carey
  6. Crazy in LoveBeyoncé feat. Jay-Z
  7. This Is How We Do ItMontell Jordan
  8. Return of the MackMark Morrison
  9. Mr. BrightsideThe Killers
  10. Last ChristmasWham!
  11. Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)Crystal Waters
  12. Show Me LoveRobin S
  13. Break My SoulBeyoncé
  14. One DanceDrake feat. Wizkid & Kyla
  15. Calm DownRema & Selena Gomez
  16. WaterTyla
  17. LevitatingDua Lipa
  18. Please Don't Stop the MusicRihanna
  19. Hey Ya!OutKast
  20. Dancing QueenABBA
  21. CelebrationKool & The Gang
  22. Cupid ShuffleCupid
  23. Electric Boogie (Electric Slide)Marcia Griffiths

Last call

Final 20 minutes

Everyone singing, then a clear ending so the night closes on a high instead of fading out.

  1. Rockin' Around the Christmas TreeBrenda Lee
  2. Sweet CarolineNeil Diamond
  3. Livin' on a PrayerBon Jovi
  4. Don't Stop Believin'Journey
  5. Empire State of MindJay-Z feat. Alicia Keys
  6. Theme from New York, New YorkFrank Sinatra

Office party music questions

What music should you play at an office holiday party?

Familiar, clean songs that work for every age in the room: soul and R&B while people arrive, upbeat classics over dinner, then a dance set of crowd favorites from Motown to current hits. Mix in secular holiday songs rather than religious carols so every employee feels included.

Should a work Christmas party play Christmas music?

Some, not all. Most offices want the season to feel festive, but a whole night of Christmas music wears thin and religious carols can leave people out. A good balance is a holiday song every third or fourth track once the dance floor is going.

How loud should the music be at an office party?

Quiet enough to talk during arrival and dinner, then louder only once people are dancing. If guests have to shout to hear each other at the bar, it is too loud. A DJ should adjust volume to the room and to the host, not to a fixed level.

How many songs do you need for an office party?

Roughly 15 to 20 songs per hour when a DJ is mixing, a little fewer with full-length tracks. A four-hour party uses 60 to 80 songs, which is why a live DJ reading the room beats a fixed playlist.

Are these songs clean?

Every song on this page is played as a clean or radio edit. Explicit versions are never played at a corporate event.

Why a playlist is not the same as a DJ

A playlist plays in order. A DJ reads the room: when the dance floor is full, when the finance team is still at the bar, when the toast is about to start. DJ DX mixes this kind of set live, keeps the volume at conversation level until people are ready to dance, takes requests, and runs the microphones for speeches. Office holiday parties start at $2,800 for up to five hours in NYC. See office holiday party DJ or check your date.

Text