57 awesome family dance party jams

Little kids love to dance—especially when Mom, Dad, Grandpa, or Grandma joins in the fun! If you’re in the mood to boogie, try streaming our Epic Family Dance Party Playlist. We polled the team at Active for Life, as well as our readers on Facebook, for their very favourite family dance party tunes. You can play it on Spotify or read on to get ideas for new tunes to add to your family’s playlist. Got a favourite song we missed? Let us know in the comments

Best family dance tunes of the 1950s

• James Brown – Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag
• Danny and the Juniors – At the Hop
• The Spaniels – Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight
• Bill Haley & His Comets – Rock Around the Clock
• Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock
• The Coasters – Yakity Yak
• Richie Valens – La Bamba
• Little Richard – Tutti Frutti
• Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode

Best family dance tunes of the 1960s

• Ray Charles – Hit The Road Jack
• Chubby Checker
  • The Twist
  • Let’s Twist Again
• The Tokens – The Lion Sleeps Tonight
• Ella Fitzgerald – Jersey Bounce
• Ben E. King – Stand By Me
• The Beatles
  • Twist & Shout
  • Octopus’s Garden
• The Rolling Stones – You Can’t Always Get What You Want
• Tom Jones – What’s New Pussycat
• Little Eva – The Loco-motion
• Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – Dancing in the Streets

Best family dance tunes of the 1970s

• Commodores – Brick House
• Queen
  • Don’t Stop Me Now
  • We Are The Champions
  • Bohemian Rhapsody
• Sister Sledge – We Are Family
• ABBA – Dancing Queen
• The Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive
• Village People – YMCA

Best family dance tunes of the 1980s

• Men At Work – Down Under
• Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
• Kenny Loggins – Footloose
• Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’
• The Bangles
  • Walk Like An Egyptian
  • Manic Monday
• Boy George – Karma Chameleon
• Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
• Kool and the Gang – Celebration
• Technotronic – Pump Up The Jam

Best family dance tunes of the 1990s

• C&C Music Factory – Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now!)
• Shania Twain – Man, I Feel Like a Woman!
• Buena Vista Social Club – De Camino a la Vereda
• Tones and I – Dance Monkey
• Inti-Illimani – La Fiesta Eres Tu
• Jamiroquai – Canned Heat
• Madonna – Vogue

Best family dance tunes of the 2000s

• Juanes – Luna
• will.i.am – I Like To Move It
• Maraca – Maria Rosa
• Jack Johnson – Upside Down

From 2010 to today

• Shakira
  • Try Everything (from Zootopia soundtrack)
  • Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)
• Ed Sheeran – Perfect
• Taylor Swift – Shake it Off
• Owl City – When Can I See You Again? (from Wreck It Ralph soundtrack)
• Classified – Inner Ninja
• Justin Timberlake – Can’t Stop The Feeling (from Trolls soundtrack)
• Alvin and the Chipmunks – Home
• Pharrell Williams – Happy