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Research on festivals and cultural events draw considerable attention among academics and practitioners. The relationships between marketing influence and spontaneous purchase have been studied in general retail setting; however, there is dearth knowledge of purchase patterns in a festive setting. This study aims to identify what factors motivate attendees to spontaneous purchase and to investigate how local residents and tourists respond in their spontaneous purchase when exposed to stimuli at a special event held infrequently for a short period of time. The flower market at the Chinese New Year Festival was chosen as the study context as it is one of the most popular events in Macau, in which spontaneous purchases are made. A quota sample of 150 local residents and 100 tourists was recruited in November, 2007. The results indicate that product quality, price, and variety are the top three priorities among both local residents and tourists when making purchasing decision at the flower market. Significant differences of free sample tasting and cultural tradition were found between the two segments in purchase intention. The findings allow marketing activities to be highly targeted according to the difference response of local residents and tourists. Future research is also recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]