Vintage photos show what Coney Island’s July Fourth celebrations used to look like

No place does the Fourth of July quite like Coney Island, from its annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest to its iconic boardwalk and firework displays.

Coney Island has been a destination for Fourth of July celebrations for over a century, and the seaside neighborhood is still popular for New Yorkers who want to escape the city for the day.

Since the 1930s, throngs of tourists have gathered at Coney Island to lie on its beach and soak up the summer weather. Today, people still walk along the boardwalk, enjoy some rides, and eat a hot dog or two — or many more. 

These vintage photos show what Coney Island’s Fourth of July celebrations have looked like through the years.

Fourth of July marks one of the busiest days of the year in Coney Island.

In a black-and-white aerial photo from 1920, you can see thousands of people gathered on the boardwalk and Coney Island Beach on the Fourth of July.

In the 1930s, Coney Island exploded as a popular destination for beachgoers and families on the Fourth of July.

This photo, taken on July 4, 1938, shows crowds of people gathered on the beach. There are so many people that you can hardly see the sand.

Thirty years later, revelers still visited Coney Island Beach to celebrate Independence Day.

In this photo, a pair of unidentified men in shorts pose for the camera.

The beaches were also popular in the mid-’90s.

In a 1995 photo, children can be seen running and playing in the water while their parents look on.

Coney Island has continued to experience growing visitor numbers in the years since. The reopening of Luna Park, an amusement park on the boardwalk, in 2010 also helped buoy visitor numbers.

People also came to Coney Island to shop on the boardwalk.

In this photo from July 4, 1968, customers shop inside a Coney Island store that sells tobacco-related products, candy, and portable radios.

The first Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest was held in the 1970s.

The first official contest was held in 1972, CNN reported.

Nathan’s had once claimed the tradition started in 1916, but PR professionals Max Rosey and Mortimer Matz, hired by Nathan’s, later told The New York Times they had fabricated the legend about it starting that year.

The first official winner of the contest was a woman named Melody Andorfer.

The Coney Island History Project reported that she ate 12 hot dogs in five minutes and won a paper crown as her prize.

In this photo from 1961, an unidentified man eats a Nathan’s Famous hot dog outside the iconic restaurant.

Edward Krachie was the 1995 champion of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

He’s pictured holding up his trophy after winning the 1995 annual contest.

The New York Times reported that he won after eating 19 and a half hot dogs in 12 minutes and beating the defending champion by just half a dog.

The record for the most hot dogs ever eaten at the contest was set more recently, in 2021, when competitive eater Joey Chestnut ate 76 in 10 minutes.

The contest has been successful ever since, drawing thousands of in-person attendees and even more online viewers each year.

Here, three unidentified contestants pose with plates of hot dogs prior to the 1987 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Nathan’s was and still is a popular establishment in Coney Island to grab a cheap dog on the Fourth of July or any other summer day.

In this circa 1968 photograph, a couple eats hot dogs in front of Nathan’s Famous fast-food restaurant in Coney Island.

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