Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Tickets: How Can Fans Attend?

Stephen Douglas | Jul 6, 2024

Joey Chestnut’s hot dog eating championship belt. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, everyone's favorite celebration of glottony and meat-based patriotism, will be held on the Fourth of July. Coming live from the corner of Surf and Stillwell in Brooklyn, New York, fans will travel from all around to see people eat a ton of hot dogs. And most of them will be dipped in water first. Mmm!

While the event will be broadcast live in HD on ESPN2 and ESPN+, if you want to see it up close, true fans will make the pilgrimage to the original Nathan's Famous location in Coney Island. Just be sure to arrive early if you want a good view or a free hot dog hat.

How much are Hot Dog eating contest tickets?

There are no tickets, which means the event is free. At least monetarily. One must only have the mental and physical stamina to get to Coney Island as the sun comes up and wait around all morning. It is first-come, first-serve which means you have to be willing to wait a long time if you want to get into the penned-in portion of the crowd in front of the competitors.

How can fans attend the Hot Dog eating contest?

Like many things in life, showing up is half the battle. The Nathan's Famous adress is 1310 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11224. Just take the D, F, N, or Q line on the New York City subway system to Stillwell Avenue Station. From there you'll have to stand around until they usher fans into the pen. According to one travel blog, that's where fans get free hot dog hats and a noisemaker, which will certainly make the long wait worth it.

If you do make it to the inner sanctum of sausages, you won't see the two most famous faces in the sport as neither Takeru Kobayashi or record-holder Joey Chestnut will be in attendance for the first time in more than two decades. When the dust settles on Thursday, someone besides Chestnut and Kobayashi will hoist the mustard yellow belt for the first time since 2000 when Kazutoyo Arai consumed a bit(e) more than 25 hot dogs.

If you want to eat any hot dogs of your own, you'll just have to wait for the even to end and then stand in another long line because just about everyone there will want a hot dog despite the carnage they just witnessed.