Learn Hardcore Japanese: hutuu no syuumatu yori isogasikatta riyuu ha, zimoto no ibento da. - The reason it was busier than a normal weekend is a local event.

より marks the standard of comparison: “than/as compared to.” In 普通の週末より忙しかった, the implied subject (I/we/this weekend) was busier than a “normal weekend.” You put より after the thing you’re comparing against. よりも is a slightly more emphatic variant with the same meaning.

Why is 忙しかった in the past, but the sentence ends with だ (not だった)?

Japanese allows a past-tense relative clause inside a sentence and a present-tense main predicate. 忙しかった says the busyness was in the past; 地元のイベントだ labels the reason as a fact you’re stating now. You could also say …イベントだった, especially if you want to keep everything in past time. Both are acceptable; …だ sounds like “the reason is (that it was) the local event,” while …だった ties the reason more firmly to the past event.

What is は doing after 理由?

は marks the topic: “As for the reason (it was busier than a normal weekend)…” It frames what follows as the explanation of that topic. A common alternative structure is to put the reason as the subject: 地元のイベントが理由だ (“A local event is the reason”).

How can 忙しかった directly modify 理由?

Japanese uses relative clauses before nouns. 忙しかった理由 literally means “the reason [it] was busy.” There’s no word like “that/which” in Japanese; the clause 忙しかった directly modifies 理由.

Is the word order fixed? Are there natural rewrites?

The core meaning can be expressed in several natural ways:

普通の週末より忙しかった。理由は、地元のイベントだ。
普通の週末より忙しかったのは、地元のイベントのためだ。
地元のイベントが理由で、普通の週末より忙しかった。
地元でイベントがあったからだ。 All are acceptable; choose based on emphasis and formality.

Could I use から／ので／ため／せい instead of 理由は?

Yes, with nuance differences:

から: straightforward “because,” casual-neutral. Example: 地元でイベントがあったからだ。
ので: softer/formal-ish reason. Example: …あったので、普通の週末より忙しかった。
ため: “due to/for the sake of,” more formal/neutral. Example: …イベントのため、忙しかった。
せい: “because of” with a negative/blaming tone. Use only if the busyness is a bad thing: …イベントのせいで忙しかった。

Is 普通の週末 the most natural way to say “a normal weekend”? What about 普段 or いつも?

普通の週末 = “a normal/ordinary weekend” (neutral).
いつもの週末 = “my usual weekend” (more personal and idiomatic).
普段 works well in comparisons without a noun: 普段より忙しかった or いつもより忙しかった are very natural. 普段の週末 is possible when describing habits (e.g., “On a typical weekend, I…”).

Why not say 普通に週末 or 普通より?

普通に is an adverb (“normally”), so 普通に週末 is ungrammatical as a noun modifier. 普通より needs a noun or a predicate to compare with; 普通の週末より or 普段より are the correct comparative forms here.

What exactly does 地元 mean, and how is it different from 近所 or 地域?

地元: one’s local area/hometown or “home turf,” relative to the speaker or group.
近所: the immediate neighborhood (nearby houses/streets).
地域: a region/area (neutral, administrative or geographic).

Difference between 地元のイベント, 地元でのイベント, and 地元で行われたイベント?

地元のイベント: an event that is local in identity/affiliation (a “local event”).
地元でのイベント: an event held in the local area (focus on location).
地元で行われたイベント: explicitly “an event that took place locally” (past, factual). All can fit; pick based on whether you stress identity, location, or past occurrence.

Can I drop the final だ, or should I use です／でした?

In casual speech, ending on a bare noun sounds abrupt; …だ (plain) or …だった is standard. In polite speech, use …です／…でした. Dropping だ is common in headlines or very clipped styles, not in normal conversation.

Could I use ほうが for the comparison instead of より?

ほうが is used when explicitly contrasting two options: 今週末のほうが普通の週末より忙しかった (“This weekend was busier than a normal weekend”). Your original uses the simpler Aより comparative inside a relative clause, which is perfectly natural here.

Where is the subject (“I,” “we,” or “this weekend”)? Why is it missing?

Japanese often omits topics/subjects when obvious. Context supplies who/what was busy. If you want it explicit, you can say:

今週末が普通の週末より忙しかった理由は、地元のイベントだ。 (marks “this weekend” as the subject of the relative clause)

Is the comma after は required? And why are there spaces?

The comma is optional and used for readability after a long topic. Standard Japanese writing doesn’t use spaces; they were added here for learners.

How do you read the sentence?

ふつうのしゅうまつよりいそがしかったりゆうは、じもとのイベントだ.