Whether for a birthday, other special occasion, or just for fun, everyone loves a good karaoke party! On the opposite end, there are few things worse than a bad karaoke party. So how do you make sure yours has the energy you need? It’s not easy getting everyone pumped up and ready to sing and dance, after all. If you’re trying to keep your party lively, try out these fun music games!

Set-Up

Before diving into games, it’s worth figuring out your karaoke party set-up. Will you be responsible for your own music, or do you plan to hire a DJ? Where will your karaoke party be hosted and is there space and a sound system for a DJ? Otherwise, is there a way for you to arrange your own music, or are you limited to what the venue has to offer? All these factors will influence which party games you’ll be able to play and the kind of atmosphere you will create.

Party Games You Can Do Yourself

  • Name that tune. Modeled after the classic game show, this one can be enjoyed both with or without a DJ. Divide players into teams or do a free for all. Designate one person to sing a song of their choice. Everyone else must compete to see who can yell out the name of the tune first.
  • Rewrite the song. This is good way to spice up your karaoke party. Divide players into groups and put a variety of song names into a hat. Have each team pull out a song name. Each team has 10 minutes to rewrite the song with new lyrics. Each team must then perform their song in front of the other teams.
  • Who’s that VIP? Perfect for when there’s a lull in the singing or when you just need a break. Write names of famous singers on post-it notes and stick them on the back of each player. No player must know his/her celebrity name. Players must go around the room and ask yes or no questions to figure out who they are!
  • Roulette. This one is a simple game, but a fun one, nevertheless. To play, write down the names of all your party guests and put the names into a hat. The person drawn from the list of names must sing in front of everyone. The song? Scroll through your list of karaoke tunes and stop at random. Things are about to get interesting!

Party Games Requiring a DJ

A DJ can transform your karaoke party into a different experience, helping to get even the shyest wallflower and the grumpiest partygoers active. Whether you want your DJ to seamlessly mix karaoke into your dance line-up, or you want someone to MC your karaoke party, you can’t go wrong with a professional. Here are some games to ask your DJ about.

  • Designate a team of judges and have your DJ serve as the MC/show announcer. Contestant sing karaoke songs and are voted on to the next round by the judges, who gauge the performance of the singer and can give feedback and critique. The audience shares its opinion by clapping for their preferred contestants.
  • Musical trivia. Enlist the DJ and create a dynamic musical trivia game. Divide the audience into teams and pose trivia questions about music stars, genres, fads, etc.  Each team has 30 seconds to answer. Have the DJ time each team. The DJ can also add to the game by playing sound effects and snippets of songs for clues.
  • Freeze dance. Easily incorporate this into karaoke by putting your DJ in charge. Have everyone dance to the music and one person sing. When the DJ changes songs, everyone must freeze—including the singer. Anyone who moves after the song is changed is out.

Having a experienced Texas karaoke DJ like the team at Cutting Edge Entertainment MC the games at your party can make the evening full of coordinated fun!