Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest

The 2019 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest will take place in Coney Island from 11 am to 1 pm on Thursday, July 4, 2019. The annual contest, an American holiday tradition, will be held at the Nathan’s Famous flagship restaurant located 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 35,000 fans are expected to attend.

Last year, Joey Chestnut of San Jose, CA, set a new world record and held on to his championship title, fending off his arch-rival Carmen Cincotti, of Newark, NJ, by consuming 74 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Darron Breeden finished in third place, Geoffrey Esper in fourth, and Matt Stonie in fifth.

In the women's competition last year, Miki Sudo of Las Vegas, NV, took first place, marking her fifth consecutive win by eating 37 hot dogs and buns. Miki’s all-time best is 41 hot dogs and buns, set in 2018. Michelle Lesco of Tucson, AZ, came in second, with 28 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. The women’s world record is 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 16 qualifying events held across the nation in the lead-up to July 4. A total of 18 men and a total of 15 women are expected to compete on July 4. The men’s and women’s contests each offer $20,000 in cash prizes.

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 and the ESPN App. 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 3:00pm ET, 4:00pm ET, and 1am ET, and on ESPNEWS at 7pm ET and midnight ET. Air times subject to change.

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.