Slater, Burrow to battle it out at Bondi

Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow and Owen Wright are among those battling it out at the first surfing competition at Sydney's Bondi Beach in over 20 years this weekend.

The three-day Boost Mobile SurfSho begins today, with nine-time world champion Slater and 2010 Quiksilver Pro champ Burrow leading the field for the $30,000 top prize.

A host of celebrities will also feature in a charity competition. Danny Green, Mike Whitney, Rod Kerr, Luci Taffs, Ashley Cheadle, Aaron Graham, Chris Brown and Jason Dundas will all compete.

"It's been a long time between drinks for a contest at Bondi, since '88," Slater said. "I like Bondi a lot, it's cool. It'll be fun to be there and have a contest."

With free music and entertainment plus giant plasma screens on the beach, event organisers are expecting more than 40,000 spectators across the weekend.