This study adapts Herzberg’s two-factor theory to investigate the satisfaction levels of attendees at the 2016 Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) held in Cameroon. Specifically, it investigates how satisfaction is influenced by a-priori motivations for attending the event, which, in turn, affects revisit intentions. Using survey data collected from 324 participants at the festival, the study findings confirm the applicability of the Herzberg theory in evaluating the relationship between participants’ motivation factors and their satisfaction levels. Satisfaction levels were also found to significantly influence return intentions. Results also emphasise the moderating effect of expenditure considerations on the attendees’ satisfaction levels. These findings have implications for event planners and festival organisers as it highlights the superiority of unique festival `motivators’ in predicting satisfaction levels, suggesting that event planners focus on these characteristics if they intend to increase attendees’ satisfaction. The study is the first of its kind to apply Herzberg’s theory to evaluating the relationship between motivation factors and satisfaction in a festival context. It is also the first West African contribution to the literature on the impact of event motivation on satisfaction levels and return intentions. The adoption of the Ordinal Logit Methodology is unique to this strand of literature.