While taking in the sights and sounds of an 8am opening at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we noticed some Disney Cast Members working on the (former) Rivers of Light amphitheater.

As you might know, Disney has already announced that the Rivers of Light nighttime spectacular at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been permanently closed. Disney made the decision to end the show back in July 2020 after reworking the show a couple of times. Disney has not announced a replacement for the show, but our photos below might indicate that the river amphitheater won’t sit vacant for long.

As you can see in our photos below, Disney Cast Members and what appears to be third-party contractors were out early this morning to take various measurements of the theater.

When we walked over to the amphitheater, we noticed that some stones were removed and some of the wooden benches appeared to be recently replaced.

There have been rumblings of a new show being introduced, perhaps even in an interim capacity as Disney looks to bring back nighttime entertainment in the future. BlogMickey.com has not been able to confirm any future plans for the space yet, but it getting some attention from Disney while other shows and experiences remain shuttered around the theme parks and resorts could be a good sign.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom often closes early and is a park that the majority of locals skip for that very reason. With local attendance making up more than half of the overall attendance at Walt Disney World, Disney is trying to get more locals to visit the theme park – even enticing Annual Passholders to visit with the promise of exclusive offerings.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!