Frequency Annual Inaugurated 2002 (2002) Organized by Drew Cerza | Years active 14 Attendance 80,000/yr Location Coca-Cola Field | |
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Date(s) Labor Day weekend, 2–3 September 2017 | ||
National buffalo wing festival
National Buffalo Wing Festival or wing fest is a weekend festival held at Coca-Cola Field in downtown Buffalo, New York, United States, celebrating the Buffalo style chicken wing. The festival is held on Labor Day weekend and culminates with the IFOCE sanctioned Buffalo Wing eating contest.
Contents
- National buffalo wing festival
- National buffalo wing festival 2014
- Event history
- Event contests
- Facts
- US chicken wing eating championship competition winners
- Entertainment
- References
National buffalo wing festival 2014
Event history
This festival was inaugurated in 2002. Founder Drew Cerza, called the "Wing King" by Buffalo News, was said to have modeled the event on a fictitious festival from the movie Osmosis Jones. Though it has been claimed that this is the first festival of its kind, WingStock on Main Street in Downtown Buffalo was held annually prior to the first National Buffalo Wing Festival.The first Wingstock was in 1997 and won by Ray Jay's Bar on Broadway in Cheektowaga and was held at the Radisson Hotel on Genesee street. Drew Cerza paved the way for the Chicken Wing Hall of Fame and made Buffalo the birthplace of the chicken wings.
Jill Greenburg said, "Of local festivals that have come and gone the Wing Fest’s staying power is a result of raising approximately $200,000 for local charities and serving almost 3 million chicken wings with 100 sauce varieties to over half a million hungry visitors over the years." In 2010, the festival was video webcast live to over 84,000 online viewers.
On September 2, 2012 Joey Chestnut consumed 191 wings, 7.61 pounds (3.45 kg), in 12 minutes to take competitive-eating trophy from the five-year champion Sonya Thomas. Chestnut broke his own record in 2014 by eating 192 on 31 August, and successfully defended his title the next year by eating 205 wings on 6 September, another record.
Event contests
Contests at the National Buffalo Wing Festival include:
Facts
US chicken wing eating championship competition winners
Contest duration is 12 minutes.
Entertainment
Every year the festival brings in top quality entertainers. There are always new and exciting entertainers each year. Several entertainers also appear year after year including Quiz Master Dennis George, Elvis Tribute Artist Terry Evans and Balloon Entertainers Dennis & Karen Regling.