Mother nature did not cooperate with our local Labor Day celebrations. But this weekend, it looks like the weather should be great for outdoor plans. Good thing, too, because it’s time for the annual Charlotte BBQ & Blues festival, which features Jimmie Vaughan and Buddy Guy.

This year, the 9th Annual Time Warner Cable BBQ & Blues festival has a new home at the NC Music Factory, and general admission is free. The two-day festival, on the outskirts of Uptown, takes place from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9 and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, with national and regional barbecue teams competing for prize money and supreme bragging rights.

There will be great food, pig races, a cornhole tournament, Queen City Car Wars Preview, plenty of ice-cold beer and, new this year, some Jack D to wash down all that barbecue. More than a dozen tasty food vendors, serving everything from classic barbecue to funnel cakes and fried shrimp, will be on hand. (See a schedule here.)

Tickets are required for reserved pavilion seating. Ticket prices are as follows: $20 for one day and $30 for two days. If you’re seated in the lawn area, there’s no charge. Use this link to buy your tickets now. As always, at the NC Music Factory, there is plenty of free parking, too.

There is a special event preview during lunch on Thursday, Sept. 8 from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. The barbecue preview event will be held at the Wells Fargo Plaza on South Tryon Street between Third Street and MLK Boulevard in Uptown Charlotte. There will be vendors, music and more to get everyone excited about the new and improved Time Warner Cable BBQ & Blues. (Note that the first 300 people to arrive at the preview event will get a free lunch provided by your choice of either Mac’s Speed Shop or Stallings’ Rock Store Bar-B-Q.)

Here’s the band schedule: Friday, Sept. 9: Harvey Dalton Arnold Blues Band 6 to 6:45 p.m.

Swingin’ Richards Rhythm and Blues Review  7:15 to 8:45 p.m.

Jimmie Vaughan and Tilt-A- Whirl featuring Lou Ann Barton: 9:15 to 10:45 p.m. (Vaughan will do 75 minutes plus encore)

Saturday, Sept. 10: Nita B & the Swingin’ Soiree 1 to 1:45 p.m.

The Contagious Blues Band 2:15 to 3 p.m.

Jake Haldenvang Trio 3:30 to 4:15 p.m.

Lucky Five 4:45 to 5:30 p.m.

John Wesley Satterfield & His Damn Fine Band 6 to 6:45 p.m.

Aaron Woody Wood 7 to 7:45 p.m.

Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band 8 to 9 p.m.

Buddy Guy 9:30 to 10:45-ish p.m.

As an added bonus, there is a free air-conditioned piggy back shuttle, sponsored by the Y, that will run on Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. This is an Uptown shuttle only that will give people access who use the light rail, residents of Uptown and those who want to connect from the heart of the city to the NC Music Factory and back again. (The NC Music Factory offers a similar free shuttle for other weekend events, too.)

The event host this year, the NC Music Factory, is Charlotte’s premier arts and entertainment district, where one can find the best concerts, pubs, clubs, restaurants and entertainment for all ages, seven days a week. Event sponsors Charlotte Center City Partners, Time Warner Cable and the NC Music Factory are making sure this annual event is something to remember.

Please visit its new website, www.charlottebbqandblues.com, for the latest event information, including more pictures and videos, as well as social media outlets to talk about all the fun things happening during barbecue weekend.

NC Music Factory’s GPS address is 935 N. Graham St., but its physical address is 1000 Seaboard St.,(which is off North Graham and has lots of signs to follow).