Nathan’s hot dog eating contest: How to watch, Coney Island road closures

CONEY ISLAND, N.Y. (PIX11) – Despite the drama that’s left Joey Chestnut off the roster, the show must go on at Coney Island this Fourth of July, and the other eaters are ready chow down.

Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest will return to Coney Island Thursday. $20K is on the line for the 29 competitive eaters who will eat as many hot dogs as they can in 10 minutes.

The famed hot dog showdown has graced the Coney Island shore since 1916, and beloved eater Chestnut won his first Mustard Yellow Belt in 2007. To many fans’ dismay, Chestnut will not compete at this year’s competition. Instead, he’ll take on soldiers at an event in El Paso, Texas.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest in Coney Island:

What time & where is the competition?

Pre-contest activities kick off at 10 a.m. in front of the Coney Island Nathan’s Famous location at 1310 Surf Ave. The women’s contest starts at 11 a.m. and the men’s contest follows at 12:30 p.m.

How to watch the Coney Island hot dog eating contest from home

Both competitions will be broadcast on ESPN starting at 10:30 a.m. for the women’s competition and 12 p.m. for the men’s competition. The competition will re-air on ESPN at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Road closures
The contest will prompt the following road closures throughout the day Thursday:

• Stillwell Avenue between Surf Avenue and Bowery Street
• Bowery Street between Stillwell Avenue and West 15th Street
• Surf Avenue between West 15th Street and West 12th Street
• West 15th Street between Surf Avenue and Bowery Street

Meet the competitive eaters

Despite Chestnut’s absence, this year promises a tight race.

“There are plenty of great eaters,” George Shea of Major League Eating told PIX11 News.

Last year’s runner up Geoffrey Esper will again fight for the Mustard Yellow Belt and to beat his personal record of 51 hot dogs and buns. In the women’s category, Miki Sudo will look to defend her title won with 39.5 hot dogs and buns last year, and beat her personal best of 48.5 hot dogs.

Sudo’s partner, No. 4 ranked eater Nick Wehry, will also eat himself to glory Thursday, going up against his all-time best of 48 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Patrick Bertoletti, the No. 9 ranked Major League Eating competitor, has the highest personal best in the competition of 55 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

And, as always, Badlands Booker will return for the lemonade chugging contest – last year, he chugged a gallon of lemonade in 23.08 seconds.

Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered New York City since 2023. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here .

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