Nathan’s Famous Fourth Of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest

Annual Competition in Coney Island on July 4, 2018

World Champion Joey Chestnut to Defend Title Against Carmen Cincotti

Miki Sudo to Battle Michelle Lesco

Coney Island, NY The 2018 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest will take place in Coney Island from 11 am to 1 pm on Wednesday, July 4, 2018. The annual contest, an American holiday tradition, will be held at Nathan’s Famous flagship restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Brooklyn, NY.

Pre-show festivities will begin at 10:00 am with performances by a variety of musical and dance acts. The women’s competition begins at 11:00 am, while the men’s competition will start at 12:30 pm. Some 30,000 fans are expected to attend.

Last year, Joey Chestnut of San Jose, CA, held on to his championship title fending off new arch-rival Carmen Cincotti, of Newark, NJ, by consuming 72 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Chestnut’s all-time best is a world record 73 Nathan’s Famous hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Many believe Cincotti will beat 10-time champion Chestnut this year.

Last year, in the women's competition, Miki Sudo of Las Vegas, NV. took first place, marking her fourth consecutive win by eating 41 hot dogs and buns, 11 more than former champion and world record holder Sonya Thomas. Michelle Lesco of Tucson, AZ came in second, with 31 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Sonya Thomas holds the Women’s world record with 45 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs and Buns in 10 minutes.

To earn a seat at the table on July 4, male and female eaters must win one of 19 qualifying events held across the nation in the lead-up to July 4. A total of 21 men and a total of 19 women are expected to compete on July 4. The men’s and women’s contests each offer $20,000 in cash prizes.

Thousands make the pilgrimage to Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island each year to watch the event in person. The ESPN telecast of the event routinely draws an audience of millions of viewers. As part of the event, Nathan’s Famous makes a donation of 100,000 Nathan’s Famous hot dogs to Food Bank for New York City. Coney Island Brewery is official beer sponsor of the event.

ESPN has exclusive live broadcast rights from 10:50 am to the conclusion of the event, expected to be at 1:05 pm ET. The women’s competition coverage will begin at 10:50 am ET and will be telecast live on ESPN3. The men’s competition coverage will begin at 12:00 pm ET and will be telecast live on ESPN2. It will re-air on ESPN2 at 4:00pm ET and 7:30pm ET.

According to Major League Eating archives, the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest has occurred each July 4th in Coney Island, NY, since 1916, the year Nathan Handwerker opened the legendary restaurant. MLE, the governing body of all stomach-centric sport, sanctions the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Circuit and ensures the contests are judged professionally and that safety standards are in place at each event.