Nuoren turistin kesälomamuistot ja festarisuunnitelmat

What does 'festarit' mean in Finnish?

Festarit is Finnish youth slang for festivaalit (festivals), almost always meaning the summer’s music-festival season. Finns chop long loanwords and clip plural -t on the end: vekkari (alarm clock), kebari (kebab), kilkkarit (sandals), festarit (festivals). The clipped form sounds casual, friend-to-friend, the opposite of the official musiikkifestivaali.

In this clip, a young festival visitor (host calls him Turre, short for turisti) describes his summer plans. As a kid he played cops and robbers: « mä joutuisin vankilaan jos mä nyt tekisin tollasta » (I’d go to prison if I did that now). His grown-up plan: « tänä kesänä me ollaan kiertämässä festarikilavoja » (this summer we’re touring the festari circuit).