A successful New Year’s Eve party—the kind people talk about for years to come—always has a few key ingredients; a rad crew of people, an endless grazing platter (preferably one that’s ‘gram-worthy), free-flowing booze and one seriously cracking playlist. While we can’t help with most of those things, we can ensure your party’s vibe remains high with our edit of the very best music out there.
Amateur DJs assemble, here are the best Spotify playlists for New Year’s Eve.
New Years 2023
Let’s kick it off with a classic. Doing exactly what it says on the tin, the playlist is designed to help you ring in 2023 in style. This roundup features a mix of 2022’s biggest hits—like Lizzo's About Damn Time, and Sam Smith's Unholy—and singalong classics like ABBA's Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie. It’s the kind of playlist that moves people nicely from the ‘chilling out having drinks’ stage to the ‘let’s start making shapes’ stage—a crucial development in any good party. Plug it in here.
Most Necessary
If you want to score cred from your mates for knowing all the killer music cuts before anyone else then you’ll want to download Most Necessary stat. Complied each week by the gang at Spotify, this playlist has a proven track record for predicting big hits before anyone else. Think slick songs from the likes of The Kid LAROI, Kash Doll and Hot Boii. Listen to it here.
Gold School
After flaunting your music cred with Most Necessary, it’s time to kick it old school and take it back to the great rap classics—a sure-fire way to get people vibing. Gold School delivers over three hours of hip hop royalty featuring the likes of Mobb Deep, Master P, The Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, Lupe Fiasco, Snoop and Jay Z. Download it here.
Pigeons And Planes
You can thank the cool kids at Pigeons And Planes for pulling together this list of absolute bangers that will ensure your party stays vibin'. Updated on the reg, so you can enjoy this on NYE and beyond, this four hour playlist is loaded with the latest sounds from international music-makers to gems from the underground. Previous vibes include Conversations by Aries, 21 Savage’s Glock In My Lap and BENEE's Happen To Me. You can listen to it here.
Rap Caviar
To put it lightly, Rap Caviar is quite frankly the mecca of epic hip hop times on Spotify. If you have no idea what you’re dealing with right now, it’s basically every big-time rapper’s dream to be featured on this talent-filled playlist and it’s cultivated over 12 million dedicated followers. You’ll find the likes of Megan Thee Stallion, Chance The Rapper and DaBaby. You can keep up to date with new additions right here.
Every Number One
If you like a party where you can sing along to all the songs (and actually know the words) then this feel-good playlist will inject a happy pop vibe to your shindig. Every Number One does exactly what it says—for three hours expect to hear every single number one hit from Australia in 2021. Prepare for collective group squeals when Taylor Swift's All Too Well comes on. There's also STAY from The Kid Laroi and Drake's Girls Want Girls. Start singing here.
Get Turnt
If your crew is spending too much time chowing down on the cheese platter instead of invoking Lizzo’s moves on your makeshift dancefloor, fear not, we have the answer. Nothing, and we mean nothing, will lift the vibe of your party more than this playlist—it’s got over five million faithful followers if that helps give it cred. Expect sweet tunes from the DaBaby, Roddy Ricch, A$AP Rocky and Swae Lee. Download it here.
Diplo And Friends Radio
Turns out not only does Diplo make epic hits, he also knows how to create a rad playlist. Updated weekly (and currently sitting at 17 hours long), Diplo and Friends features tracks from the man himself, his friends and anyone he’s vibing in the music scene—one feature on here from an underground artists and their career can blow up. Treat your fellow party goers to beats from the likes of Lil Nas, Tove Lo, Dom Dolla and DJ Snake. Get yourself acquainted here.
Trance Mission
It’s 1am and you just want to turn the music up and trance out—we’ve got you. Plug into this playlist for back to back pure house beats. The curated list features a takeover from legends Aly & Fila and includes their top tracks as well as beats from Estiva, Diago and ReOrder. Listening to this is like being at an Ibiza day club minus the airfare. Get your fix here.
Mellow Bars
Image credit: Urban List