13 July 2015. Sydney is set for a bumper weekend of events in August when the Bledisloe Cup clash, the Netball World Cup and The Good Food and Wine Show take place from 7-9 August, at Sydney Olympic Park.

In the ultimate trans-Tasman battle, the Qantas Wallabies face off against arch rivals the New Zealand All Blacks at ANZ Stadium to try and win back the Bledisloe Cup after a 13-year drought on Saturday 8 August. The rivalry continues on Sunday 9 August when the Aussies and Kiwis battle it out at Allphones Arena on Sunday 9 August in the round robin stage of The Netball World Cup, which returns to Sydney for the first time in more than two decades.

Food and wine lovers can also pop into The Good Food and Wine Show at the Sydney Showground from 7-9 August to discover hundreds of local and international exhibitors, meet celebrity chefs, enjoy live cooking demonstrations and more.

The bumper August weekend follows the recent ‘Sydney Super Week’ which saw some of the world’s biggest names in sport flock to the harbour city for a week of sports events during Vivid Sydney, the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas. Every major code of football was covered over the course of the week with major events across Football (soccer), Rugby League, AFL and Rugby Union.

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres said, “Sydney continues to set the benchmark as Australia’s international sports capital, securing some of the world’s most prestigious teams and sporting events. Sydney Super Week showcased Sydney to a global audience and we can’t wait to do it all again with the next round of sporting events during the big August weekend.”

To date in 2015, Sydney has already secured and supported a spate of major sporting events including the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, the AFC Asian Cup, State of Origin Game One, The Star Australian Badminton Open and major English Premier League football clubs, Tottenham Hotspur FC and Chelsea FC, and the momentum is not stopping with more events lined up for the rest of the year.

“The recent Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea FC matches alone have injected $16 million of visitor expenditure into the NSW economy with almost 20 percent of all ticket sales for both games sold to interstate or international fans,” he said.

Following the August bumper weekend, more Sydney-exclusive events include The Blackmores Sydney Running Festival, the Telstra Premiership Grand Final, the Emirates Australian Open of Golf, AUS-X open Sydney and the V8 Supercars Sydney 500.

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said, “Major sporting events and festivals continue to attract visitors to our State. There’s no better place to spend a weekend than taking in a fixture and seeing what the city has to offer.”

For more information on all of the events taking place in Sydney visit www.sydney.com/events

Tickets to the Netball World Cup, Bledisloe Cup, Telstra Premiership Grand Final, Emirates Australian Open, AUS-X Open Sydney and V8 Supercars Sydney 500 can purchased through Ticketek at www.ticketek.com.au

Registration for Blackmores Sydney Running Festival is now open via www.sydneyrunningfestival.com.au

The Bledisloe Cup Festival – 5-8 August 2015

In the ultimate trans-Tasman battle the Qantas Wallabies face off against arch rivals the New Zealand All Blacks to try and win back the Bledisloe Cup. To celebrate the annual battle, a four-day Sydney festival of rugby will include a lunch, golf day and free access for all ticketholders to a special event at Royal Randwick making it a full day of sports.

• The Netball World Cup – 7-19 August 2015

Netball’s pinnacle event, The Netball World Cup returns to Sydney for the first time in over two decades and will feature a revamped competition in which fans will watch top nations including Australia and New Zealand go head-to-head in the preliminary rounds.

• Blackmores Sydney Running Festival – 2 September 2015

The Blackmores Sydney Running Festival will see more than 36,000 runners take to one of the most scenic courses in Australia. Made up of four events, all competitors will have the chance to run over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and enjoy the spectacular harbour views.

• Telstra Premiership Grand Final – 4 October 2015

Finals fever will be at an all-time high when the NRL season wraps up with the Telstra Premiership Grand Final at ANZ Stadium. In 2014, the Grand Final clash between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Canterbury Bulldogs drew a record crowd of 83,833 spectators to ANZ Stadium, the biggest attendance for a sporting event since the stadium was reconfigured after the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

• Emirates Australian Open – 26-29 November 2015

The Emirates Australian Open returns to the prestigious Australian Golf Club with American youngster Jordan Spieth back to defend his title following his impressive win over reigning champion Rory McIlroy in 2014.

• AUS-X Open Sydney - 28-29 November 2015

The AUS-X Open Sydney will see the world’s biggest names in Supercross and Freestyle Motorcross (FMX) go head -to-head at Sydney Olympic Park,

• V8 Supercars Sydney 500 - 4-6 December 2015

Sydney Olympic Park will ignite when the V8 Supercars Sydney 500 take over the streets showcasing precision driving at its best in one of the world’s most unique courses.