～とあって
given that / since (special occasion)
～とあって is a pattern that attaches to a plain-form clause or directly to a noun. It gives a reason, but not just any reason: the circumstance is special or out of the ordinary, and the result that follows is the natural, expected consequence of it.
In English it maps to “given that...” or “since (it was such a special occasion)...”. It has a written, journalistic tone and is common in news reports describing crowds, sell-outs, and other predictable reactions to notable events.
1. After a clause
Attach とあって to a plain-form verb clause that states the special circumstance.
人気俳優が出演するとあって、前売り券は売り切れた。
“Since a popular actor was appearing, advance tickets sold out.”
- 人気俳優（にんきはいゆう）= popular actor
- が = subject marker
- 出演する（しゅつえんする）= to appear (in a show)
- とあって = given that
- 前売り券（まえうりけん）= advance tickets
- は = topic marker
- 売り切れた（うりきれた）= sold out
2. After a noun
A noun naming the special situation can take とあって directly, without だ.
連休とあって、どこの観光地も人でいっぱいだった。
“Since it was a long holiday weekend, every tourist spot was packed with people.”
- 連休（れんきゅう）= consecutive holidays, long weekend
- とあって = given that
- どこの = every, whichever
- 観光地（かんこうち）= tourist spot
- も = “also/all” marker (here: every single one)
- 人（ひと）= people
- で = marks what something is filled with
- いっぱいだった = was full, was packed
Unlike everyday ～から or ～ので, ～とあって is reserved for noteworthy circumstances and reads like reportage. It describes what others did, not the everyday reasons of the speaker.
How to form it
Plain-form clause / Noun + とあって
- 出演する（しゅつえんする）= to appear → 出演するとあって（しゅつえんするとあって）= given that (someone) is appearing
- 連休（れんきゅう）= long weekend → 連休とあって（れんきゅうとあって）= given that it is a long weekend
- 無料（むりょう）= free of charge → 無料とあって（むりょうとあって）= given that it is free
Key idea
～とあって says: “because the situation was this special, it is no surprise that this happened”. Think of a news anchor explaining why the streets were crowded.
Other N1 grammar
Updated .