Tim Gunn Judges a Literary Costume Contest — See Exclusive Photos from the New York Public Library's Halloween Parade

• Book lovers and library patrons attended Rooftop Happy Hour: Halloween Edition with Tim Gunn and the Costume Parade in New York on October 25
• The event encourages guests to dress up in costumes with a literary theme. Gunn and a panel of librarians from the New York Public Library select the best costume winner
• This year’s event saw costumes inspired by books by the likes of Maya Angelou I know why the caged bird sings, Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games and Ray Bradbury Fahrenheit 451

New Yorkers showed their love for literature in a spooky costume parade this month. On October 25th, the New York Public Library hosted its annual Halloween Costume Parade and Halloween themed rooftop happy hour with Tim Gunn at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library Event Center in New York City. The event invites guests to dress up in literary-themed costumes, inspired by their favorite books, poems, authors and fictional characters. project runway, speak to PEOPLE. Gunn has been judging the costume contest for the event since 2017. Along with a team of librarians from the New York Public Library, Gunn selects the best costumes before narrowing down the list to choose the final winner.

Tim Gunn and judges decide the best costumes at the New York City Halloween Costume Parade.

New York Public Library/Jonathan Blanc

“It’s a ton of fun,” Gunn says. “It’s always a surprise to see what people do and how creative they are. And the people who attend this event couldn’t be nicer. They are just warm, open people with great stories.”

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The event is a longtime favorite tradition, the New York Public Library said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “The complete restoration of public library funding has enabled the New York Public Library to continue hiring and vital programming, as well as seven-day service at locations that previously offered it,” the statement said. “Our Rooftop Happy Hour: Halloween Edition with Tim Gunn is one of the many favorite events that members of the public and our patrons look forward to throughout the year.”

Costume inspired by Ray Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451’.

New York Public Library/Jonathan Blanc

This year’s event brought a wide variety of creative costumes, with some of the judges’ top picks inspired by books like Maya Angelou’s I know why the caged bird sings and Ray Bradbury Fahrenheit 451.“My feeling was that this book, even though it was decades ago, has become – unfortunately – a little more relevant in recent times,” said the Bradbury-inspired contestant, who wore a fiery headdress and red dress emblazoned with banned books like Toni Morrison The bluest eyeand George Orwell in 1984.

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Other costumes were inspired by characters from children’s books, such as Katniss Everdeen from Suzanne Collins The Hunger Gamesand monsters from Maurice Sendak Where the wild things are — the latter group costume ended up winning first prize.

Costumes in NYPL’s Halloween Costume Parade.

New York Public Library/Jonathan Blanc

And although not everyone who attended the event took part in the parade, many participants did appear in costumes that had a special meaning. For friends Kendall Latimer and Amanda Steyer, who dressed up as greasers from SE Hinton’s classic novel Outsidersit was a way for them to show their love for the story that connects them.

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“I read [The Outsiders] in high school and it is one of my favorite books. So I made her read it,” Steyer tells PEOPLE. “And then this summer we organized a book club together.”

“We’d meet up, we’d read a book, we’d go for walks to talk about it, we’d go out to eat, we got really engrossed in the book.”

Costumes in NYPL’s Halloween Costume Parade.

New York Public Library/Jonathan Blanc

“That really made this book one of my favorite books,” adds Latimer. “I’m a pretty tough critic when it comes to what makes this book special, and I think doing it with a friend and reading it in the span of a week… was a lot of fun.”

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For those thinking about joining next year’s celebration, Gunn has some tips for making your costume shine.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. “Just embrace what you’re doing, make sure it’s literature, appropriate, and have fun,” Gunn says. “As for what not to do, don’t be insignificant, do your best. That makes a difference.”

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Source: HIS Education