What Time is Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and When to Get Tickets
by James Kevin Stott
Update:
- Where is Nathan’s Famous Original Restaurant Located?
- What are Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs?
- When Is the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest?
- Who Are the Defending Champions in the Contest?
- What Are the Men's and Women's Records at Nathan's?
- Why Isn't Joey Chestnut in This Year's Nathan's Contest?
- What Exactly is Competitive Eating?
- The History of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
- How Long is the Nathan's Contest and What Are the Rules?
- The Last 10 Winners of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
- Who Are the Men’s and Women’s Favorites to Win This Year?
- How Can I Attend Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest?
Thumbnail: File:Nathans_hotdog_countdown_clock by Kcpwiki (CC-BY-SA-3.0)
Where is Nathan’s Famous Original Restaurant Located?
The original Nathan's Famous is located in Brooklyn, New York, in the Coney Island neighborhood on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues. The address is 1310 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11224, and the phone number is (718) 333-2202.
This is the site of the annual Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, a world-famous Competitive Eating contest that has taken place on this hallowed ground every July 4 since 1972. It was once said that the competition dates back to 1916, but those turned out to be falsehoods. There are now more than 400 Famous Nathan's locations worldwide.
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What are Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs?
Nathan's Famous hot dogs are made up of 100% beef and come from a secret family recipe dating back to 1916. These frankfurters feature a sheepskin casing, have a natural bend to them, and make a snapping sound when eaten.
The gluten-free hot dogs measure 6 3/4 inches in length, weigh 3.2 ounces, and have a unique garlic-based seasoning. Nathan's Famous hot dog buns are made from white bread and have no preservatives, artificial color, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, or preservatives. They are made in collaboration with the team at Nathan's Famous.
🌭 Nathan's Famous on Instagram: Instagram link
🌭 Nathan's Famous on Twitter: Twitter link
🌭 Nathan's Famous on Facebook: Facebook link
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When Is the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest?
The 2024 Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest will be held on Thursday, July 4.
What time is Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest? The Men's and Women's contests will be held from 11 am to 1 pm Eastern Time in New York City. For spectators watching at home in the Central Time zone, ESPN2will air the contests at 11 am, with people in the Pacific Time zone getting the telecast from 9 am to 10 am.
ESPN has broadcasting rights to the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest through 2029.
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Who Are the Defending Champions in the Contest?
Competitive Eating icon Joey Chestnut is the defending Men's champion after scarfing down 62 hot dogs in 2023, while women's legend Miki Sudo is the defending Women's champion after eating 39½ hot dogs the last time out.
The Men's and Women's winners of the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest win the coveted Mustard Belt. According to International Confederation of Competitive Water (IFOCE) co-founder George Shea, the Mustard Belt is of "unknown age and value." The Mustard Belt always stays in the country of its current champion.
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What Are the Men's and Women's Records at Nathan's?
The Men's record for hot dogs (and buns) eaten was set in 2021 by Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, who devoured 76, a remarkable average of 7.6 hot dogs a minute. The Women's record belongs to fellow American Miki Sudo, who downed 48½ hot dogs on July 4, 2020, at Coney Island, breaking the previous record of 45 eaten by Sonya Thomas in 2012.
No one has more Mustard Belts than Hall of Famers Chestnut (16) and 38-year-old Tampa, Florida native Sudo (9), and it will be hard for anyone ever to catch these two MLE legends who have won an astonishing 18 of the last 20 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contests. But one of these iconic MLE legends won't be at Coney Island this year.
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Why Isn't Joey Chestnut in This Year's Nathan's Contest?
Defending champion and 16-time winner, Joey Chestnut was denied entry due to exclusivity rules from Nathan's after the 40-year-old Westfield, Indiana native signed a deal to be the spokesman for Impossible Foods, makers of a plant-based hot dog.
Major League Eating said in a statement, "We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest."
Chestnut has won the last eight Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contests (2016-2023). On July 4, Chestnut will be participating in a 5-minute hot dog eating contest versus soldiers from Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.
Another living legend banned from the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest because of a contract dispute, Japan's Takeru_Kobayashi—a 6-time winner—will face off with Chestnut once again in a special winner-take-all hot dog eating contest dubbed "Unfinished Beef" live on Netflix on Labor Day, Monday, September 2.
We will tell you how and where to get tickets for that showdown later this summer here on TicketX, where first-time users will get 10% off using this special savings promo code.
What Exactly is Competitive Eating?
Competitive eating is a new wave sport that goes way beyond hot dogs and encompasses almost every food you could probably think of. So, who has eaten the most pizzas in a competitive eating contest you might ask? None other than Geoffrey Esper, who devoured 19¼ pizzas (9 inches) in 10 minutes at the Vaughan Pizza Festival outside of Toronto, Canada. Chestnut was also there and only ate 17. Esper is favored by oddsmakers to win the 2024 Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest with Chestnut out.
The governing body for Competitive Eating is the aforementioned International Confederation of Competitive Water (IFOCE), which sanctions Major League Eating. The league holds many contests, which usually take place in eight—to 10-minute intervals.
Competitive eating is most popular in the USA, Canada, and Japan, where cash prizes are also awarded, and these eating athletes can actually make names—and decent careers—for themselves.
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The History of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
It was often written that the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest was first held over a century ago in 1916—the year founder Nathan Handwerker opened this now historic restaurant— between immigrants intent on settling a dispute on who was the most patriotic, with a man named Jim Mullen supposedly winning.
But that ended up proving just to be an urban myth, with Nathan's promoter Morty Matz copping to the fact in 2020 that he and a man named Max Rosey simply made up that legend in the Seventies as part of a big publicity stunt.
The first reference to the Hot Dog Eating Contest was in 1967, on June 30, the 100th anniversary of the hot dog. That contest was won by a 400-pound truck driver named Walter Paul, who consumed 17 hot dogs in 60 minutes, although it is unclear whether or not he also ate 17 buns.
After a few years without a contest, there were two contests in 1972, one won by Brooklyn College student Jason Schechter (14 hot dogs) on Memorial Day in a 3½-minute contest and another won on Labor Day by a woman named Melody Andorfer (12 hot dogs) in a 5-minute contest.
Since 1997, MLE, sanctioned by the IFOCE, has been in charge of the contest. Only entrants under contract with MLE are allowed to compete in this event.
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How Long is the Nathan's Contest and What Are the Rules?
The Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest is now 10 minutes long, and the winner is simply determined as the contestant who can eat the most hot dogs and buns—and keep it down—in that period of time.
All contestants must be at least 18 years old and the participants are allowed to dip the buns in water, as you see most contestants do in recent years, to help with the swallowing process. No condiments are allowed but eaters are actually allowed to consume alcoholic beverages.
If a competitive eater should vomit during those 10 minutes, they are disqualified. Should there somehow be a draw after the 10 minutes, a tie-breaker is held, with the contestant who eats five hot dogs the fastest being declared the winner.
The Last 10 Winners of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Men's Winners
2023 Joey Chestnut, USA (62)
2022 Joey Chestnut, USA (63)
2021 Joey Chestnut, USA (76)
2020 Joey Chestnut, USA (75)
2019 Joey Chestnut, USA (71)
2019 Joey Chestnut, USA (74)
2017 Joey Chestnut, USA (72)
2016 Joey Chestnut, USA (70)
2015 Matt Stone, USA (62)
2014 Joey Chestnut, USA (61)
Women’s Winners
2023 Miki Sudo, USA (39.5)
2022 Miki Sudo, USA (40)
2021 Michelle Lesco, USA (30.75)
2020 Miki Sudo, USA (48.5)
2019 Miki Sudo, USA (31)
2019 Miki Sudo, USA (37)
2017 Miki Sudo, USA (41)
2016 Miki Sudo, USA (38.5)
2015 Miki Sudo, USA (38)
2014 Miki Sudo, USA (34)
Not even a weather delay can stop Joey Chestnut 😤
— ESPN (@espn) July 4, 2023
He downs 62 hot dogs to claim his 16th Mustard Belt 🏆 pic.twitter.com/PbcOkt1gVc
Who Are the Men’s and Women’s Favorites to Win This Year?
With Chestnut out of the picture in the Men's competition, sportsbook DraftKings has tabbed Geoffrey Esper as the favorite (+100), with defending champion Miki Sudo the prohibitive favorite (-1600) in the Women's competition. Here are all of the odds:
Men's Outright Winner
Geoffrey Esper +100
James Webb -185
Nick Wehry +550
Patrick Bertoletti +650
Field +2500
Gideon Oji +5000
Darrien Thomas +5000
Derek Hendrickson +5000
Max Stanford +7500
George Chiger +7500
Women's Outright Winner
Miki Sudo -1600
Mayoi Ebihara +700
Michelle Lesco +2000
Field +5000
Katie Prettyman +7500
Larell Marie Mele +10000
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How Can I Attend Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest?
One nice thing about Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest is that it is accessible to the public, and there are no tickets. But that can also be a problem if you want to attend, as you will have to get to 1310 Surf Avenue in Coney Island as early as possible on July 4 to try to get a decent spot to watch the contest.
With more than 40,000 fans usually attending the event, watching it at home on TV on ESPN is the easiest way to enjoy the event, but if you do plan on attending, be prepared for the crowds and potentially warm Independence Day weather in Brooklyn. The current forecast calls for Mostly Cloudy conditions with a high of 84° in Coney Island on July 4, so dress appropriately.
You can drive, take an Uber, or take a bus to Coney Island, but the masses usually use the MTA New York City Subway to get to Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Trains that run to the Stillwell Avenue stop include the D, F, N, and Q, and may prefer this mode of transportation on busy holidays in the most populated US city.
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