There is growing evidence globally that the majority of attendees’ at carnival events complain about the service quality with regard to management, planning and organisation of facilities utilised at these events. South Africa is no exception and the complaints include the environment, security, client services, parking space, food accessibility and cultural activities. However, there is a lack of evidence in studies examining this issue, especially in developing countries like South Africa. Hence, the purpose of the study is to explore attendees’ perceptions of the quality of services provided at the Vaal River Carnival in South Africa. Considering the situational factors and the event environment, a non-probability sampling procedure was adopted. In this regard, a cross-sectional survey approach for collecting data from a conveniently selected sample of 335 attendees at the festival was undertaken. An exploratory factor procedure revealed seven factors namely facility access, location, food service, information, visitors interaction, valence and entertainment dimensions of carnival service quality construct. For practitioners and academics, the study presents a list of factors they may wish to consider in attempting to generate a greater degree of service quality among carnival settings.