Fireworks, parades, and cookouts are all Independence Day staples, but perhaps nothing screams the Fourth of July quite like the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. This annual All-American event returns to Coney Island this Thursday, July 4, and this year’s event comes with even more excitement than normal. The greatest competitive eater of all time will make his return to the Nathan’s stage as Joey Chestnut following a sponsorship disagreement hiatus. As always, the contest will air on ESPN2, and if you are looking for a live TV streaming service to watch this and all of the summer’s biggest sporting events, we recommend taking advantage of 50% off a subscription to Sling TV.

How to watch the 2025 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

• When: Friday, July 4 at 10:45 a.m. ET
• TV: ESPN2
• Stream: Watch with a subscription to Sling TV and on ESPN3.
• From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.

Everything you need to know about the 2025 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

Why we recommend Sling TV to watch Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

Throughout the summer, there are countless high-profile events that you won’t want to miss. From hot dog eating contests to fireworks to sporting events to concerts, there is something for everyone on TV this summer. If you love the pageantry of these summer extravaganzas, then Sling is the best streaming option to watch while saving money. The streamer is the cheapest way to get national broadcast channels and the biggest cable networks, which will be especially important as there will be great shows and events across a whole host of channels this summer.

Normally, Sling costs $46 per month, but you can currently get 50% off your first month of service, meaning that you can watch a month of summer TV for as little as $23. Sling has two different base packages, Orange and Blue. You can subscribe to one or both. If you do opt to combine Orange and Blue it will run you $61 monthly — still substantially cheaper than the comparable live TV streaming services — but with the first-month deal, you can stream everything on both packages for just $30.50.

And when the NFL and college football seasons start, there is no cheaper option to watch all of the gridiron action than Sling TV.

Save with Sling

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Sling TV

Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.

You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.

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$19.99+ / month

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Can you watch the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest for free?

If you are just looking for a streaming service to watch this one specific event and nothing else, there are options available for you. DIRECTV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and YouTube TV all offer free trials, but they vary in length, so be wary. DIRECTV’s industry-leading trial runs for five days, while Hulu + Live TV’s is a solid three days.

Those are pretty straightforward, but when it comes to the sports-minded streamer Fubo, things can get a little complicated. As The Streamable’s expert David Satin discovered when signing up for the services, figuring out how long Fubo’s trial is — even as you are signing up — can be a bit difficult. Nonetheless, it will be at least one day, with the potential to be as many as seven, depending on a wide range of factors that Fubo does not share publicly.

The YouTube TV trial is said to be “up to two weeks,” but can be as short as two days. So it is difficult to ascertain what you are actually getting before you go through the signup process.

If you are looking to watch the game for free, I would recommend DIRECTV, because that streamer has the longest guaranteed free trial.

Watch a preview of the 2025 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

What you need to know about the 2025 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

After what is either the most serious or the silliest reason for a suspension in the history of competition, the 16-time Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest champion Joey Chestnut returns to the competition this year. The Gladiator Glizzy was banned from last year’s competition because of a sponsorship conflict with Nathan’s. Chestnut has a deal with plant-based brand Impossible Foods, which violated Nathan’s exclusivity rules.

However, all has been resolved, and Chestnut has been welcomed back into the weiner guzzling fold for 2025 and will look to claim his 17th Mustard Belt.

“We are thrilled to have Joey Chestnut back for this year’s Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating contest, an event that stands as an enduring beacon of freedom for our nation and the world,” said George Shea, Major League Eating Chair. “We look forward to watching the world’s greatest eaters as they compete on this celebrated platform for international sports.”

While Chestnut will get much of the attention, he is not the only talented eater who will be on hand at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues on Coney Island. On the women’s side, Miki Sudo will be in search of her fourth-straight Mustard Belt and the 11th of her career. Throughout the event, Chestnut and Sudo will each have dedicated isolation cameras streaming on ESPN3.

Some other notable eaters include 2024 men’s Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Champion and No. 2 ranked eater Patrick Bertoletti, No. 3 ranked eater Geoffrey Esper, No. 4 ranked eater James Webb, No. 6 ranked eater Nick Wehry, and No. 9 ranked eater Michelle Lesco, among others.

Chestnut holds the men’s world record with 76 hot dogs and buns, set in 2021, while Sudo aims to surpass her 2024 mark of 51 on the women’s side. Ahead of the contest, Nathan’s Famous will continue its tradition by donating 100,000 hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York City.

What is the broadcast schedule for the 2025 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest?

How to watch Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest from anywhere

If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to a live TV streaming service like Sling TV in order to stream the contest with a VPN.

SurfShark is one of the best providers around at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get SurfShark’s protection for as little as $2.19 per month. All plans include a secure VPN, ad blocker, and cookie pop-up blocker, so you will be covered from every angle. And since SurfShark’s protection is available on unlimited devices, you won’t have to pick and choose which ones to prioritize. Simply sign up, install the software on your device of choice, and start streaming just as you would back home. It couldn’t be easier!

While SurfShark is our recommendation for the best value VPN to use while you are traveling, there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.

• Best Budget Option: NordVPN | Starting at $3.39 per month
• Best Features: ExpressVPN | Starting at $5 per month
• Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available