World Open To Bring Bowls Festival to South Australia in 2027
Major new event to showcase Adelaide and regional South Australia to a global audience
South Australia is set to welcome a major new international bowls event in 2027, with the World Bowls Series (WBS) and Bowls South Australia launching the World Open today.
The event will be officially unveiled at the Adelaide Bowling Club at 10:30am today, with high-profile bowlers and promising junior players attending to celebrate the arrival of a new event on the international bowls calendar.
Scheduled for late March and early April 2027, the World Open will be an eight-day festival of world-class bowls and entertainment, bringing together elite international competitors, Australian champions, emerging juniors and grassroots bowlers.
The event will be staged across numerous bowling clubs throughout metropolitan Adelaide and surrounding regions, providing an opportunity to showcase South Australia’s bowls facilities, tourism attractions and local communities.
Host locations include Adelaide and its coastal suburbs, along with regional destinations such as the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Victor Harbor.
The multi-venue format is designed to attract visiting bowlers and their supporters, generating overnight stays and additional spending on dining, hospitality, and tourism experiences.
A world-class event with something for everyone
The World Open will feature an innovative competition format, with disciplines including men’s, women’s, open and junior singles, as well as men’s, women’s and mixed pairs and fours.
Matches are planned to run for one hour, creating a fast-paced competition that provides participants with more opportunities to play and spectators with an exciting program of bowls.
Selected evening competitions will be held to make the event more accessible to working bowlers, students and other participants who may be unable to compete during traditional daytime hours.
The World Open will form part of the World Bowls Series, which features 43 events on its 2026 calendar across countries including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, India, Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa.
Competitors will have the opportunity to earn World Bowls Series ranking points, compete for significant prize money and test themselves against some of the sport’s leading players.
Showcasing South Australia to the world
The World Open will be a major international broadcast opportunity, with plans for the finals to be televised nationally and distributed internationally through broadcast partners.
Some early rounds are also expected to be streamed through World Bowls TV, allowing audiences around the globe to follow the competition and discover the South Australian host clubs regions.
World Bowls Series events attracted more than 6.8 million views on World Bowls TV’s YouTube channel during 2025, highlighting the international reach of the sport and the exposure available to South Australia.
Beyond the international profile, the event is expected to provide direct benefits for participating bowling clubs through increased visitation, green fees, hospitality and the opportunity to showcase their facilities to interstate and international visitors.
For South Australian bowlers, the event will create an opportunity to compete in a major tournament on home soil, while inspiring the next generation of players through exposure to some of the world’s leading competitors.
Quotes attributable to Emily Bourke MLC, Minister for Tourism:
“South Australia has proven time and time again that we deliver international sporting events like nowhere else, and now the world’s lawn bowlers will discover this firsthand.
“With the World Open set to spread across our diverse regions, from seaside to wine country, the World Open will showcase South Australia’s spectacular landscapes to engaged viewers across the globe, while competitors drive visitation to our local businesses.”
Quotes attributable to Neil Dalrymple, World Bowls CEO:
“The World Open is about bringing some of the world’s best bowlers together with everyday players in an event that celebrates everything that makes our sport special.”
“South Australia has outstanding bowling facilities, passionate clubs and some of the country’s most spectacular tourism destinations. By taking this event across Adelaide and into the regions, we’re creating an opportunity to showcase all of that to the world.”
Quotes attributable to Louise McDermott, Bowls South Australia CEO:
“This is an exciting opportunity for our bowling community and for South Australia.
“Hosting an international event across multiple clubs will provide a tremendous opportunity for our members to experience world-class competition, while attracting new visitors and raising the profile of bowls throughout the state.
“We’re particularly excited about the opportunity for our junior players to be involved and to see some of the world’s best bowlers competing on greens right here in South Australia.”
Further announcements regarding participating clubs, disciplines, prize money, the event schedule will be made when entries open on Friday 23rd October.
