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On Jan. 31, the New York Public Library and Reading Rhythms hosted their Winter Reading FestivalNew Yorkers were invited to an after-hours celebration at the library, where activities included a DJ, a silent reading room and the opportunity to mingle with other bookwormsBrian Bannon, New York Public Library Chief Librarian, said the event was dedicated to “celebrating all the different lives behind the way that we read”
During the midst of a brutal winter in the city, over 1,000 New Yorkers bundled up and headed out on a blisteringly cold Saturday night. Their destination? The library.
On Jan. 31, the New York Public Library (NYPL), in collaboration with Reading Rhythms, hosted their Winter Reading Festival. For one night only, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library in midtown Manhattan transformed into an even bigger reader’s paradise.
Reading Rhythms is fast becoming one of the hottest nationwide literati social events. Founded by friends Ben Bradbury, Charlotte Jackson, John Lifrieri and Tom Worcester in New York, Reading Rhythms hosts gatherings focused on bringing bookworms together. At chapter events, guests meet in a communal space, take part in silent reading sprints and connect with other literature lovers.
Guests wait to enter the Winter Reading Festival on Jan. 31 in New York City.
Perry Bindelglass
“When we talked about a way to celebrate our 500th lifetime event as a community of Reading Rhythms, we thought we had to do something pretty special,” Bradbury said in his event opening remarks. “That started with a question, which was, ‘What if we reimagined the way that your local library looked and the way you engaged with it, and made it a really one-of-one special experience?’”
The idea was a hit, as seen by the line of attendees that wrapped around the block — perhaps because the festival had something for everyone to enjoy, from the seasoned partygoer to the most hesitant introvert. On the library’s top floor, DJ Adi Oasis spun tunes while people congregated. A few flights of stairs down beckoned the silent reading room, where guests took over tables, curled up on the floor and cozied up amongst the stacks with a book.
The festival was also as much a creative space as it was a place to catch up on TBR’s. One floor was dedicated to making bookish arts and crafts. In another, deemed “The Writing Room,” guests were given journals and writing prompts, along with encouragement to share what they’d written with others.
Guests at the Winter Reading Festival on Jan. 31 in New York City.
Jonathan Blanc/NYPL
“I think for a lot of writers here, you can probably understand how awful it is to sit in your room and look at all the dumb things you bought in your life and all the surfaces you have not cleaned,” said special guest, actor, director and writer Jesse Eisenberg, during a speech. “For me, going to a library was career-saving, life-changing.”
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Eisenberg was just one New Yorker who found a place of belonging in the library during the evening. Bookworms of all ages — and all genre preferences — scattered amongst the floors with a notebook and pen or their current read. While many came with friends, other partygoers arrived alone, soon finding themselves wrapped in conversation with like-minded strangers.
“I love the fact that you have a bunch of readers: just people coming out for books and reading and the library,” Patricia, an attendee for whom the Winter Reading Festival was her first Reading Rhythms event, told PEOPLE.
From left: Brian Bannon, Jesse Eisenberg and Ben Bradbury at Winter Reading Festival on Jan. 31 in New York City.
Jonathan Blanc/NYPL
Despite the organization’s popularity, a night out centered around a solitary activity like reading may seem, well, novel. A 2025 iScience study found that the number of Americans who read for pleasure fell to 16 percent in 2023, per national data (in 2004, the number was 28 percent). A recent YouGov study also found that 40 percent of Americans didn’t read any books in 2025.
The urge to pick up a book is what drew some eventgoers out to the festival in the first place.
“I was looking for a time that’s dedicated just to sit down and read,” another attendee, Phyllis, told PEOPLE. “It’s nice to [say] ‘No, this is my book time.’ I actually get to go for an hour and a half and read, and it’s dedicated reading time. I love that.”
The festival also provided the social outlet that some readers had been craving too.
Guests at the Winter Reading Festival on Jan. 31 in New York City.
Perry Bindelglass
“I think it’s a great place to meet people,” said Heaven, another attendee. “The reason that I like coming is for the social aspect of it, and just to talk about whatever book I’m obsessed with with someone.”
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Leaving the event at the end of the evening, that sentiment appeared widely mutual. As closing time neared, guests still filled the library’s ground floor, turning pages or turning toward others.
“There’s sometimes a bit of snobbery and also a lack of creativity around what it means to be a reader,” said Brian Bannon, NYPL chief librarian. “For us, this is about having a reading party, having reading fun. It’s also celebrating all the different lives behind the way that we read. Whether we’re reading to escape, whether we’re reading to learn something, whether reading to connect, [we’re] part of community.”