July 4 Key West World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship

Key Lime Festival Coordinator Kaylee Garlington-Santopietro sets one of 25 Key Lime pies in place ahead of the Friday, July 4, 2025, World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship, held at the Southernmost Beach Resort in Key West, Fla. The event, in which 25 competitors race to consume a 9” whipped-cream-topped Key Lime Pie without the use of their hands, serves as a tropical twist on New York City’s traditional July 4 hot dog-eating contest, and is one of numerous events taking place during the island’s annual Key Lime Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)

Twenty-five competitors from across from across the United States prepare to take the plunge into an equal number of whipped-cream-topped Key Lime pies at the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship, held at the Southernmost Beach Resort in Key West, Fla., on the Fourth of July, 2025. The no-hands competition serves as a tropical spin on New York City’s traditional July 4 hot dog-eating contest and is one of numerous events taking place during the island’s annual Key Lime Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)

Five of 25 competitors race to consume whipped-cream-topped Key Lime pies on Friday, July 4, 2025, at the Southernmost Beach Resort in Key West, Fla., during the annual World Famous Key Lime Pie Championship. The eating competition, a hands-free event, serves as a tropical spin on New York City’s traditional July 4 hot dog-eating contest and is one of numerous events taking place during the island’s annual Key Lime Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)

Referee Elizabeth Love, left, marks the time as Alexander Papadakis of Chicago, IL, second from left, comes up for a breath of air during the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship on Friday, July 4, 2025, at the Southernmost Beach Resort in Key West, Fla. The hands-free contest, a tropical spin on New York City’s traditional July 4 hot dog-eating contest and is one of numerous events taking place during the island’s annual Key Lime Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)

Tom Luciano of Venice, Fla., gestures in triumph upon winning the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship on Friday, July 4, 2025, at the Southernmost Beach Resort in Key West, Fla. Luciano topped 24 fellow competitors with a time of 2 minutes and 46.49 seconds, devouring a 9” whipped-cream-topped Key Lime pie, hands-free. The competition, a tropical spin on New York City’s traditional July 4 hot dog-eating contest, is one of numerous events taking place during the island’s annual Key Lime Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)

Tom Luciano of Venice, Fla., poses with his champion’s belt after winning the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship on Friday, July 4, 2025, at the Southernmost Beach Resort in Key West, Fla. A tropical spin on New York City’s traditional July 4 hot dog-eating contest, the event challenges participants to devour a 9” whipped-cream-topped Key Lime pie, hands-free. Luciano triumphed over 24 fellow contestants with a time of 2 minutes and 46:49 seconds. The contest is part of Key West’s annual Key Lime Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)

Nadene Grossman Orr, Key Lime Festival Director and President/CEO of We’ve Got the Keys, center, and Key Lime pie icon Kermit Carpenter, holding pie, pose with Festival team members and Southernmost Beach Resort staff following the July 4, 2025, World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship in Key West, Fla. An annual event that celebrates the “world’s most sensational citrus,” the Key Lime Festival continues at multiple venues around the island through July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)