Joey Chestnut's return to the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest will coincide with a protest from PETA.

We're just 24 hours away from the Fourth of July and the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island. But while Joey Chestnut is set to make his triumphant return to the event, the animal rights group PETA intends to make their presence felt too.

T he annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on the Fourth of July has become an American tradition over the last several years. The event is nationally televised, and has made household names out of contestants like Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi.