At a glance
| Dates | Expected Dec/Jan 2026–27Not announced as of 18 October 2026. The editions checked opened between 20 and 24 December (20 Dec 2019, 22 Dec 2023, 23 Dec 2024, 24 Dec 2025) and closed on 31 December or in early January (12 Jan 2020, 4 Jan 2026), so expect an opening around 20–24 December 2026 and a run into the New Year week. In 2023, 2024 and 2025 the dates reached the press only 4–7 days before opening (16–18 December). |
|---|---|
| Next edition | 2026: Not announced as of 18 October 2026. The editions checked opened between 20 and 24 December (20 Dec 2019, 22 Dec 2023, 23 Dec 2024, 24 Dec 2025) and closed on 31 December or in early January (12 Jan 2020, 4 Jan 2026), so expect an opening around 20–24 December 2026 and a run into the New Year week. In 2023, 2024 and 2025 the dates reached the press only 4–7 days before opening (16–18 December). |
| Weather | December average 8/−1 °C (46/30 °F), 19 mm of rain January average 6/−3 °C (43/27 °F), 19 mm of rainNear or below freezing after dark: a warm coat and layers. Monthly averages, not a forecast: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, Daegu station. |
| Admission | Free. All the light installations, the drone shows and the stage events are open to everyone; food and flea-market goods are paid.Entry: Free |
| Venue | Suseongmot Lake (lakeside promenade and Sanghwa Hill)대구광역시 수성구 무학로 112 (두산동) |
| Nearest station | Suseongmot Station (수성못역), Daegu Metro Line 3, Exit 1About 5 minutes on foot to the lake (one travel site gives 5–12 minutes, depending on which part of the shore you head for) |
| From Seoul | Not published · KTX + SubwayLeave from Seoul Station · Back to Seoul the same nightFull route · Festivals by travel time from Seoul |
| Organizer | Suseong Culture Foundation (for Suseong-gu District, Daegu)(재)수성문화재단 / 대구 수성구 |
| Usual timing | Over Christmas and New Year, opening between 20 and 24 December and closing on 31 December or in early January: 20 Dec 2019–12 Jan 2020 (1st edition), 22–31 Dec 2023, 23–31 Dec 2024, 24 Dec 2025–4 Jan 2026 (7th). Lit 17:00–22:00 daily in 2024 and 2025. Dates have reached the press only about a week before opening. Browse December / January festivals. |
| First held | 2019 |
| Last checked | 21 October 2026Checked against 28 sources · See sources |
What it is like
Suseongmot is a reservoir built in 1925 to irrigate farmland in what is now Daegu's Suseong district; today it is a city park lake with a walking path of about 2 km (2,020 m) around it. Every winter since December 2019, the Suseong Culture Foundation and Suseong-gu have lined that path and Sanghwa Hill, the small park on its shore, with illuminated sculptures and media art for the Christmas and New Year fortnight. The 2025 edition was the seventh.
What sets it apart from other city light festivals is who makes the work. Many pieces come out of the Suseong Light Art School, in which instructors run classes in local schools and neighbourhood groups during the year: in 2024, 1,168 students from 11 schools exhibited, and in 2023 about 1,200 residents made 33 of the 52 works on show. A separate zone along the east promenade shows commissioned pieces by professional Daegu artists (12 of them in 2024), and guest works have come from Japan's Mizuakari festival and from students at Camp Walker, the US Army base in Daegu. Drone shows over the water are the big moments: 350 drones in 2023 and about 400 on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2024; in 2025 there were two shows, on the opening night (24 December) and Christmas evening. Hands-on booths (paper-lantern making, wish trees and wish cards), docent tours, a media-art zone and a flea market fill out the programme.
It is free and compact: the lights are on from 17:00 to 22:00, and you can see everything in an hour or two on foot. Suseongmot Station on Daegu Metro Line 3 is about five minutes' walk from the lake. The honest caveats: this is a neighbourhood festival built on community work rather than a large production, late-December evenings by the water are cold, the drone-show nights draw dense crowds around the lake, and the dates are usually announced only about a week before opening.
Highlights
- Light sculptures and media art around the whole of Suseongmot Lake and on Sanghwa Hill, lit 17:00–22:00 every evening of the festival (2024, 2025)
- Drone art shows over the lake: about 400 drones on 24 and 25 December 2024; two shows, on opening night and Christmas evening, in 2025
- Works by residents and pupils from the Suseong Light Art School: 1,168 students from 11 Suseong-gu schools in 2024
- A professional artists' zone on the east promenade: sculpture and media-façade works by 12 local artists in 2024 ('Artist's Hidden Track'), 'Artist's Garden of Light' in 2025
- A floating sculpture in the middle of the lake and a light tunnel (2025)
- Hands-on booths and extras: hanji paper-lantern making, a wish tree or year-end wish cards, docent tours, a media-art zone and the Deulan Art Mall flea market
- Selected for the Culture Ministry and Korea Tourism Organization's list of 100 night-time tourism spots in Korea (대한민국 밤밤곡곡 100선)
Who it suits. Best for couples, families and photographers spending Christmas or New Year in Daegu who want a free, easy evening walk among light art around a lake; it is a community-made neighbourhood festival rather than a large spectacle, so it suits an evening during a Daegu stay more than a dedicated trip from Seoul.
Getting there
From Seoul
KTX from Seoul Station or Suseo to Dongdaegu Station, about 1 h 40 min–1 h 55 min (former SRT trains from Suseo have run as KTX since the 1 September 2026 merger). At Dongdaegu take Daegu Metro Line 1 six stops west to Myeongdeok, change to Line 3 (the elevated monorail) toward Yongji and ride seven stops to Suseongmot Station. Leave by Exit 1; the lake is about 5 minutes' walk.
From Busan
KTX from Busan Station to Dongdaegu, then Daegu Metro Line 1 to Myeongdeok and Line 3 to Suseongmot Station, Exit 1, as above.
From Incheon Airport
Take AREX to Seoul Station, then the KTX to Dongdaegu and the metro (Line 1 to Myeongdeok, Line 3 to Suseongmot) as above.
Last leg from Suseongmot Station
Daegu Metro Line 3, Exit 1. About 5 minutes on foot to the lake (one travel site gives 5–12 minutes, depending on which part of the shore you head for)
Festival shuttle
No festival shuttle was documented for 2024 or 2025. In 2023 a free Suseong Tour Bus circled the lake on 22–25 December. City buses including Suseong 1-1, Suseong 3-1, 204 and 814 stop near the lake.
Getting home
Going back to Seoul the same night usually means leaving before the lights go off. Back to Seoul: the KTX from Dongdaegu to Seoul Station or Suseo takes about 1 h 40 min–1 h 55 min and runs until late evening; check the last train in the Korail+ app (코레일+; KTX and former SRT trains are booked there since the 1 Sep 2026 merger) or at the station before you go. Dongdaegu is 13 metro stops from Suseongmot with a change at Myeongdeok, so leave the lake in good time; Line 3 last trains from Suseongmot were not checked.
Parking
The Suseongmot public car park charges by time during the day, a few hundred won per 10 minutes up to about ₩6,000 a day, and is free outside its charging hours (travel site). It is heavily congested during the festival, so the metro is easier.
How to switch Naver Map and Kakao Map to English
Google Maps shows train, subway and bus routes in Korea but not walking or driving directions yet, so for the walk from the station Naver Map or Kakao Map is more reliable.
Before you go
1330 · Travel hotline
The Korea Tourism Organization’s helpline answers in English, Japanese and Chinese around the clock, and in several other languages from 08:00 to 19:00. Dial 1330 from a Korean phone, or +82-2-1330 from a phone registered abroad.
112 / 119 · Emergencies
112 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance. Both are free from any phone. Police on 112 can add an English or Chinese interpreter to the call.
T-money card
Buy one at a convenience store such as GS25, CU or 7-Eleven and top it up there with cash. It pays for subways and buses in most cities, and for most taxis.
Maps
Use Naver Map or Kakao Map for walking and bus directions; Google Maps does not yet give walking directions in Korea. Both apps can be switched to English. Naver Map: Menu (≡) → Settings → Language (Japanese and Chinese also available). Kakao Map: Menu (≡) → Settings → App settings → Language. If the option is missing, change your phone’s language and reopen the app. Small shop names and some reviews stay in Korean.
Trains and buses
Book trains on Korail’s English site and express buses on Kobus. Holiday weekends sell out first.
Checked 18 October 2026.
Tickets, prices and practical details
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Free | Free in every edition checked (2023–2025); no 2026 notice yet |
- Booking
- No booking is needed. Watch the drone shows from the lakeside; on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day arrive well before the show to find a spot.
- English on site
- KTO publishes an English listing with the dates, hours and address; no English-language programme or interpretation was documented. Enquiries: Suseong Culture Foundation, 053-668-1504 (Korean).
- Crowds
- Kyongbuk Maeil reported more than 90,000 visitors a year (2023). Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the drone-show nights, are the busiest, and the lakeside car park is heavily congested.
- Best time to go
- Just after the lights come on at 17:00 on a weekday for a quiet walk round the lake; for a drone show, come on 24 or 25 December and arrive early.
- What to bring
- A warm coat, gloves and a hat for standing by the water on late-December evenings, and a phone power bank.
- Step-free access
- The installations line the lakeside path, a loop of about 2 km (2,020 m); step-free routes and accessible toilets were not documented.
Editions
| Year | Dates | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Not announced as of 18 October 2026. The editions checked opened between 20 and 24 December (20 Dec 2019, 22 Dec 2023, 23 Dec 2024, 24 Dec 2025) and closed on 31 December or in early January (12 Jan 2020, 4 Jan 2026), so expect an opening around 20–24 December 2026 and a run into the New Year week. In 2023, 2024 and 2025 the dates reached the press only 4–7 days before opening (16–18 December). | expected | Would be the 8th edition. Check sslaf.kr or the Suseong Culture Foundation (053-668-1504) from early December. Suseongmot also hosts the 2026 Suseong International Biennale, 27 October–22 November 2026, a separate event. |
| 2025 | 24 Dec – 4 Jan 2026 | ended | Around Suseongmot Lake, with the students' works on Sanghwa Hill. |
| 2024 | 23–31 Dec 2024 | ended | Opening on the lake's floating stage, drone shows over the lakeside, artworks around the whole lake and booths on the lakeside plaza. |
| 2023 | 22–31 Dec 2023 | ended | Around Suseongmot Lake and Sanghwa Hill, where a large sculpture of Tubi, Suseong-gu's character, stood. |
Before or after the festival
Places you can fit in before or after the festival without missing the shuttle or the last train or bus back.
- Kim Kwang-seok Street (Bangcheon Market) (김광석다시그리기길)Before
A 350 m alley beside Bangcheon Market and the Sincheon stream whose walls are covered with murals and lyrics remembering Kim Kwang-seok, a folk singer and one of Daegu's famous sons, with a large guitar sculpture and a small open-air stage. See it by daylight on the way from Dongdaegu, then ride Line 3 on to Suseongmot for the lighting (17:00 in 2024 and 2025). It is an open street with no admission.
Getting there: Daegu Metro Line 3 to Daebonggyo Station (between Myeongdeok and Suseongmot), Exit 4, then about 7 minutes on foot
- Deulan-gil food street (들안길)After
Daegu's best-known restaurant street, beside Suseongmot, lined with sit-down restaurants serving charcoal-grilled pork, samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup) and galchi (cutlassfish); about 50 of them joined the food festival held with the Suseongmot Festival in September 2025. Come for dinner after walking round the lights. If you are taking the KTX back to Seoul, check the last train in the Korail+ app first and allow for the metro to Dongdaegu, changing at Myeongdeok.
Getting there: On foot from the lakeside; the street runs next to Suseongmot
Questions travelers ask
When is the Suseong Light Art Festival 2026?
Not announced as of 18 October 2026. Recent editions opened between 20 and 24 December and ran to 31 December or into early January (2025: 24 December 2025–4 January 2026). Dates have reached the press about a week before opening.
Is the Suseong Light Art Festival free?
Yes. Walking round the light installations and watching the drone shows cost nothing; only food and flea-market goods are paid.
What time are the lights on?
17:00–22:00 every evening of the festival in 2024 and 2025.
When is the drone show?
In 2025 there were two drone art shows, on the opening night (24 December) and Christmas evening. In 2024 about 400 drones flew on 24 December (19:45 per a blog) and 25 December (19:00). Times for 2026 are not announced.
How do I get to Suseongmot by subway?
Take Daegu Metro Line 3 to Suseongmot Station, Exit 1, then walk about 5 minutes to the lake. From Dongdaegu KTX station, ride Line 1 six stops to Myeongdeok and change to Line 3 toward Yongji for seven stops.
Can I visit as a day trip from Seoul?
Yes. The KTX to Dongdaegu takes about 1 h 40 min–1 h 55 min and trains back run until late evening; check the last train in the Korail+ app (코레일+) or at the station before you go. Arrive as the lights come on (17:00 in 2024 and 2025) and leave the lake in good time for your train.
What is the weather like during Suseong Light Art Festival?
December in Daegu: average high 8 °C (46 °F), low −1 °C (30 °F), 19 mm of rain (Daegu station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). January in Daegu: average high 6 °C (43 °F), low −3 °C (27 °F), 19 mm of rain (Daegu station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Near or below freezing after dark: a warm coat and layers.
Sources and verification
Facts checked
21 October 2026, against the sources listed below.
This page is desk research from the sources below, not a firsthand report of the 2026 edition. Confidence in the current facts: medium.
- KTO tourist data — 수성빛예술제 (contentId 2641128, ktriptips mirror)kto — 2025 dates 24 Dec 2025–4 Jan 2026 (12 days), 17:00–22:00, free; 7th edition, resident-led; Suseongmot, 무학로 112 (두산동); coordinates 35.8294, 128.6206; (재)수성문화재단; 053-668-1504; sslaf.kr; opening lighting 24 Dec; two drone shows (opening day, Christmas evening); 2025 programmes; older 2023 text (22–31 Dec, Tubi sculpture on Sanghwa Hill); 수성못 유원지 within 330 m
- KTO tourist data (English) — Suseong Light Art Festival (contentId 3565768, ktriptips mirror)kto — English name; 24 Dec 2025–4 Jan 2026; 17:00–22:00; free; 112 Muhak-ro, Suseong-gu; +82-53-668-1504; Suseong Culture Foundation; artwork exhibition and drone art show
- KTO tourist data via koreacharts — 수성빛예술제 (contentId 2641128)other — Same 2025 dates, hours, fee, organizer and programme list as KTO; bus stops near the lake (대구공공시설관리공단동부사업소앞 about 37 m, TBC앞 about 397 m)
- KTO Japanese festival list, Daegu (ktriptips mirror)kto — Japanese name 寿城光芸術祭 (contentId 3563708)
- KTO Simplified Chinese festival list, Daegu (ktriptips mirror)kto — Simplified Chinese name 寿城光之艺术节 (contentId 3565968)
- KTO tourist data (Simplified Chinese) — 寿城池游园地 / 수성못 유원지 (contentId 2399500, ktriptips mirror)kto — Chinese names 寿城池 / 寿城湖 for the lake; amusement park open 00:00–24:00 every day; parking available
- KTO TourAPI listing 2026 수성국제비엔날레 (contentId 3370452)kto — 2026 Suseong International Biennale, 27 Oct–22 Nov 2026, Suseongmot Sanghwa Hill, weekdays 12:00–21:00, weekends 10:00–21:00, free, Suseong-gu
- Kyongbuk Maeil — 2024 Suseong Light Art Festival preview (16 Dec 2024)news — 6th edition, 23–31 Dec 2024; lighting 17:00–22:00 daily, first lighting 17:00 on 23 Dec; about 400 drones on 24 and 25 Dec; 1,168 students from 11 schools; 12 artists on the east promenade; Mizuakari and Camp Walker works; SphereAX, UNDT, MVtron; 밤밤곡곡 100선; Suseong-gu and Suseong Culture Foundation
- Kyongbuk Maeil — Christmas Eve at Suseongmot (25 Dec 2024)news — Drone show of about 400 drones on 24 Dec 2024; lit 17:00–22:00 until 31 Dec; hanji lantern making; 1,168 students from 11 schools; 12 professional artists; crowds on Christmas Eve
- Kyongbuk Maeil — 수성못의 겨울밤, 화려한 빛으로 물든다 (18 Dec 2023)news — 5th edition, 22–31 Dec 2023 (10 days); more than 90,000 visitors a year; theme 수성빛하모니; 52 works, 33 by about 1,200 residents; 4 invited artists and 32 students in 10 teams; 350 drones on 22 Dec and 24 and 31 Dec at 19:00; 24 Dec dance and carol jazz; free tour bus 22–25 Dec 13:00–23:00
- Kyongbuk Maeil — Suseongmot drone show (25 Dec 2023)news — 350+ drones, about 10 minutes with music, shows on 23 and 24 Dec 2023; 31 Dec New Year message planned
- Seoul Shinmun — 수성빛예술제 알리는 조명등 (16 Dec 2019)news — 1st Suseong Light Art Festival, 20 Dec 2019–12 Jan 2020, around Suseongmot
- thinkyou.co.kr — 수성문화재단 축제홍보기획단 '반짝이' 모집 (2022)other — Suseong Culture Foundation hosted and ran the 4th festival (2022); promotion team of about 20 recruited 5–21 Oct 2022
- Fanmaum community post — 제7회 수성빛예술제 (17 Dec 2025)blog — 7th edition, 24 Dec 2025–4 Jan 2026, 12 days, free; floating sculpture in the lake, light tunnel, drone show, students' works on Sanghwa Hill; dates public by 17 Dec 2025
- moneyroan — 무료로 즐기는 대구 수성빛예술제, 일정과 볼거리 총정리 (20 Dec 2024)blog — 2024: 23–31 Dec, 9 days; opening ceremony 24 Dec 19:30 on the floating stage; drone shows 24 Dec 19:45 and 25 Dec 19:00, about 400 drones; wish tree, lantern making; Line 3 Suseongmot Station about 5 minutes' walk; buses 수성1-1, 수성3-1, 204, 814; car park congestion
- Telltrip — 대구 수성못 둘레길 단풍 산책 (October 2025)blog — Built 1925 for irrigation; lakeside path 2,020 m; Line 3 Suseongmot Station 5–12 minutes' walk; public car park ₩600 first 30 min, ₩300 per 10 min, ₩6,000 daily maximum, 09:00–20:00, free outside those hours; duck boats; Sanghwa Hill
- Kyongbuk Maeil — 2025 Suseongmot Festival (22 Sep 2025)news — Suseongmot Festival 26–28 Sep 2025 by the Suseong Culture Foundation; Deulan-gil Food Festival with about 50 restaurants; Deulan Art Mall
- itwiki — 수성못역map — Suseongmot Station, Daegu Metro Line 3 (338), opened 23 Apr 2015; Exit 1 towards TBC, Suseong Artpia and Suseong Amusement Park
- Wikipedia — Daegu Metro Line 3map — Station order Myeongdeok (331) … Hwanggeum (337), Suseongmot (338) toward Yongji (341): seven stops from Myeongdeok
- Wikipedia — List of Daegu Metro stationsmap — Myeongdeok is the Line 1 (129) / Line 3 (331) transfer; Dongdaegu is Line 1 station 135, six stops from Myeongdeok
- Dongdaegu → Seoul Station train timetable, 16–19 Oct 2026 (third-party mirror of the MOLIT/data.go.kr national timetable feed, page last modified 2026-10-16)other — Last departures 22:48 KTX 82 (arr 00:27) and 22:57 KTX 84 (arr 00:42), weekdays and weekends alike: journeys of 1 h 39 min and 1 h 45 min
- Dongdaegu → Suseo train timetable, 16–22 Oct 2026 (third-party mirror of the MOLIT/data.go.kr national timetable feed, page last modified 2026-10-16)other — Last departure 23:14 (KTX-Sancheon 366, plus 390 Mon–Thu), arriving 01:06: a journey of 1 h 52 min
- Korail press release: 코레일-에스알 9월 1일 하나로…안전 최우선, 더 편리한 고속철도의 시작 (31 Aug 2026)official — Integration and integrated running from 1 Sep 2026; KTX and SRT merged into KTX
- Hankyung: 9월 1일부터 서울~부산 KTX 5만4400원…운임 평균 10% 인하 (31 Aug 2026)news — KTX and SRT run as KTX from 1 Sep 2026; former SRT trainsets renamed KTX-Sancheon
- KTO Korea Tourism Content Lab — Japanese and Chinese listings (contentId 3563708, 3565968, 3566607)kto — Japanese name 寿城光芸術祭; Chinese names 寿城光之艺术节 / 壽城燈光藝術節
- Stars and Stripes Korea — Exploring Korea: Daegu paints picture of country's past (24 Apr 2025)news — Kim Kwang-seok Road: lyrics and works commemorating the folk singer fill its 350 m of walls; beside the Sincheon stream, with Bangcheon Market; Kyungdae-hosp Station (Line 2) Exit 3 about 5 minutes; Daebonggyo Station (Line 3) Exit 4 about 7 minutes
- Kyongbuk Ilbo — 김광석 다시그리기 길 (4 Feb 2024)news — Large guitar sculpture, murals along the street, small semicircular performance space; next to Bangcheon Market
- Kyongbuk Maeil — 들안길 음식골목 (11 Jan 2023)news — Deulan-gil described as a representative Daegu food alley; restaurants serving charcoal-grilled pork, samgyetang and galchi; Suseong-gu art project
What we could not confirm
- 2026 dates, theme and programme had not been announced as of 18 October 2026; recent editions reached the press only about a week before opening (16–18 December).
- 2025 opening-ceremony and drone-show times were not published in the sources found. The 2024 times (opening ceremony 19:30 on 24 Dec, drone shows 19:45 on 24 Dec and 19:00 on 25 Dec) come from a blog; Kyongbuk Maeil gave the first lighting as 17:00 on 23 Dec.
- The official site sslaf.kr was not opened (no search returned it); its 2026 notice should be checked in December.
- Last train back on the festival date under the timetable in force that day (last KTX from Dongdaegu to Seoul Station and Suseo); the Seoul–Dongdaegu KTX fare after the 1 September 2026 merger was not checked either.
- Metro ride time from Dongdaegu to Suseongmot and the last Line 3 trains from Suseongmot were not checked.
- Parking rates are from a travel site (October 2025); whether extra parking or traffic control applies during the festival was not documented.
- Accessibility, restrooms, rain policy, pet rules and card acceptance were not published.
- Kim Kwang-seok Street: length and station exits come from Stars and Stripes (April 2025); the walk from Daebonggyo Exit 4 was not checked against the Daegu metro operator.
- Parking: the Suseongmot car-park charges are a rounded range from a travel site (October 2025); current rates and charging hours were not checked.
Changes: 2026-10-18 — Added to the site: fact-first record (dates, hours, prices, getting there, sources). · 2026-10-18 — Added a photograph from the Korea Tourism Organization (Korea Tourism Content Lab), KOGL Type 1. · 2026-10-18 — Traditional Chinese name aligned with KTO (壽城燈光藝術節). · 2026-10-21 — Transport: removed October 2026 last-KTX times from Dongdaegu, which may not apply after Korail's 1 November 2026 timetable change; visitors are now told to check the last train in the Korail app or at the station. · 2026-10-29 — Nearby rewritten as 'Before or after the festival' (shuttle and last-train fit); transport: removed the 2023 tour-bus clock times; last-train advice now points to the Korail+ app; prices: car-park charges given as a rounded range.
