Nathan’s Famous 100th Anniversary Fourth Of July Hot Dog-Eating Contest Information

Annual Competition in Coney Island on July 4, 2016!

Joey Chestnut Seeks to Regain Title from Matt Stonie!

Miki Sudo to Defend Title Against Sonya Thomas!

NOTE TO EDITORS: CLICK HERE! This Dropbox link provides access to resources for this event, including video, photos, news releases and and event details.

The 2016 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest will take place in Coney Island from 11 am to 1 pm on Monday, July 4, 2016. The annual contest, reportedly first conducted in 1916, will be held this year as part of 100th Anniversary celebrations at Nathan’s Famous flagship restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Brooklyn, NY.

The event is free and open to the public. Pre-show festivities will begin at 10:00 am with performances by a variety of musical and dance acts. The women’s competition began at 11:00 am, while the men’s competition will start at 12:30 pm.

Matt Stonie of San Jose, CA, shocked the world last year by claiming the championship title for the first time. Stonie, previously the world’s second-ranked eater, defeated his toughest rival, 32-year-old Joey Chestnut, also of San Jose, who had reigned undefeated for eight consecutive years. Stonie ate 62 Hot Dogs in 2015, two more than Chestnut. However, last weekend in Washington, DC, Chestnut threw down the gauntlet by eating 73.5 Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs and Buns in 10 minutes to set a new world record.

In the women's competition last year, Sonya Thomas of Alexandria, VA, who set a world record by consuming 45 Hot Dogs and Buns in 10 minutes, failed to reclaim her title from Miki Sudo, of Las Vegas, NV. Sudo took first place, eating 38 Hot Dogs, seven more than Thomas.

In recent years, an estimated 35,000 fans have made the pilgrimage to Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island to watch the contest 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 the Food Bank for New York City.

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 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 ESPN3. It will re-air on ESPN at 3:00pm ET. 

Fans planning to attend the contest may want to arrive early. For those on mass transit, take the subway—D, F, Q, N—to the final stop, Stillwell Avenue. Nathan’s Famous is across the street from the terminal. Those driving will want to take the Belt Parkway to Exit 6, Cropsey Avenue, and head south toward the water until you hit Surf Avenue. Take a left and you will see Nathan’s on the right at Stillwell Avenue. Other attractions in Coney Island include the Cyclone, Deno’s Wonder Wheel and Luna Park.