Hot Dawg! New York's Coney Island heats up for 4th July and the annual hot-dog eating contest

Sausage fest: In New York City, the Hot-Dog-Eating Contest has become a July 4 tradition / Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, Getty

If your idea of hell is a day at the beach with tens of thousands of other people then welcome to your worst nightmare.

Every year tens of thousands of people head for the beach on New York's Coney Island for its historic July 4 Independence Day celebrations.

On a normal hot summer's day about 120,000 people can crowd on the sand but it really was standing room only on the 4.8km stretch of beach for the country's national holiday on Wednesday.

The big event of the day is the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest.

Every square inch of New York's Coney Island beach are covered in 4th of July holiday makers. Photo / Getty

Defending champions Joey "Jaws" Chestnut and Miki Sudo held on to their titles, each downing dozens of hotdogs in front of thousands of spectators, reported the New York Post.

But the event was not without controversy with a suggestion the judging system may need to change after judges lost count of how many dogs Chestnut and runner-up, Carmen Cincotti, had eaten.

"I knew early on that they messed up. I can see the counter in front of me," Chestnut told the Post. "At the first minute, they had me down at 10. I knew it was 20. They fell behind really quick.

Defending champion Joey "Jaws" Chestnut (center of frame) ate a record 74 hot dogs in ten minutes. Photo / Michael Brochstein, Getty

"I didn't let it bother me. If I let it bother me, I'd slow down and not win the contest," he said. "I know there is a system. I know they double check. At the end, I knew I'm at 74 — 64 feels a lot different in the stomach than 74."

Meanwhile, Miki Sudo smashed 37 franks and buns down her gullet to notch her fifth consecutive Mustard Belt in the women's competition. Michelle Lesco came in second, scoffing down 28, and Juliet Lee placed third with 25.

Miki Sudo celebrates back-to-back titles at the women's hot-dog-eating contest. Photo / Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, Getty

Sudo and Chestnut earned a cool $10,000 apiece.

AP- Via news.com.au