The 2017 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest

Annual Competition in Coney Island on July 4, 2017

Joey Chestnut to Defend Title Against Matt Stonie

Miki Sudo to Battle Sonya Thomas!

Coney Island, NY The 2017 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest will take place in Coney Island from 11 am to 1 pm on Tuesday, July 4, 2017. The annual contest 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, regained his championship title from arch rival Matt Stonie, also of San Jose, and set a new July 4th world-record by consuming 70 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.

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, fell to Miki Sudo, of Las Vegas, NV. Sudo took first place, eating 38.5 Hot Dogs, three and a half more than Thomas.

The annual event is a New York City tradition, with thousands making the pilgrimage to Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island to watch 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. Coney Island Brewery is official beer sponsor for 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.

According to 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. Major League Eating, 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.