Hampton Court Palace has seen its fair share of romance over the last 500 years (some more successful than others!), so to get you in the mood for Valentine’s week, we’ve curated five essential tracks from our 2026 lineup. Whether you’re planning a romantic picnic on the East Front lawns or a night of dancing in the Base Court, here are a few great tunes to get you in the mood.

David Gray – This Year’s Love

There are few songs more suited to a sunset slot at Hampton Court Palace than this. With its swaying piano melody and Gray’s signature vocals, This Year’s Love is the ultimate anthem that makes you want to hold the person next to you a little tighter.

Perfect for: A glass of wine, a summer breeze and watching the sun set over the Tudor chimneys.

OMD – If You Leave

Famously featured in the finale of Pretty in Pink, arguably one of the greatest synth-pop love songs ever written, OMD’s If You Leave captures that desperate, heart-on-your-sleeve urgency that the band mastered better than anyone else.

Perfect for: Singing at the top of your lungs during the Friday night encore.

Pete Tong Ibiza Classics – You’ve Got The Love

Proof that the most powerful love songs belong on the dancefloor. The lyrics are a testament to the person who pulls you through when times get tough: “Sooner or later in life, the things you love you lose / But you got the love I need to see me through.” When the Essential Orchestra swells on this Candi Staton classic, it transforms a club track into a declaration of LOVE.

Perfect for: The finale. Hands in the air, hugging whoever is standing next to you.

Nile Rodgers & CHIC (Sister Sledge) – Thinking of You

While Nile Rodgers is famous for getting the party started, his catalogue is filled with soulful gems too. Written and produced by Nile and Bernard Edwards for Sister Sledge, Thinking of You is a masterclass in disco-soul. It’s light, it’s groovy and it’s impossible not to dance to.

Perfect for: The very first glass of champagne in the East Front Gardens.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor & Spiller – Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)

Before Murder on the Dancefloor, there was Groovejet. Famously beating Victoria Beckham to Number 1 and defining the sound of the millennium. The lyrics capture that confused, exciting, adrenaline-filled moment of falling for someone: “If this ain’t love, why does it feel so good?”

Perfect for: That moment the beat drops and you realise you aren’t sitting down for the rest of the night.

Check out the rest of the tracks that made it on our Valentine’s Day playlist