Walt Disney World has installed a new set of umbrellas along the Tropical Americas side of the Discovery River Amphitheater at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The work mirrors a prior installation on the Asia side near Expedition Everest, even down to the mounting method. Color is the only real difference. Tropical Americas got a teal blue canopy instead of the red used across the lagoon.
Discovery River Amphitheater Gets Matching Shade Structures on the Tropical Americas Side
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- New umbrellas have been installed along the Tropical Americas side of the Discovery River Amphitheater
- The installation method matches the one used on the Asia side near Expedition Everest
- The umbrellas are teal blue, differing from the red canopies across the water
A Second Round of Amphitheater Umbrellas
The new umbrellas are scattered around the Tropical Americas side of the Discovery River Amphitheater seating area. Each one rises straight out of a bench, the same way Disney mounted the first batch across the water. A metal collar wraps around the base of each pole where it meets the wood.
The benches are the same wooden style found throughout the amphitheater. Each pole runs straight down through a gap created between the boards. Overhead, the string lights and teal light poles lining the walkway remain untouched. The umbrellas simply slot in among the existing infrastructure.
Comparing the Two Installations
Umbrellas on the Asia side, installed near Expedition Everest, use a red canopy. Tropical Americas got teal blue instead. That gives the two sides of the amphitheater a visibly different look. Beyond color, we did not find any other differences between the two installations during our visit.
The consistency between the two setups suggests Disney is treating amphitheater-wide shade coverage as a standard fix rather than a one-off patch job for crowds near Expedition Everest. Both sides of the seating area are now equipped.
What This Means for the Amphitheater’s Future
The Discovery River Amphitheater has sat without a regular nighttime show since Rivers of Light ended. Its most recent programming, the daytime KiteTails show, closed in September 2022. These teal umbrellas arrive as construction continues nearby on the Tropical Americas land itself. Tropical Americas replaces the former DinoLand USA and is expected to open in 2027.
As we noted when we first spotted umbrellas drilled through the amphitheater’s benches, drilling directly through the seating rather than working around it likely points to no immediate plans for a new nighttime show in this venue. That said, it is our hope that Disney is installing these umbrellas simply to assist with shade, and without too much concern for repairs should a new nighttime show be announced.
Story So Far
- October 2025: Disney installed the first set of umbrellas on the Asia side of the amphitheater near Expedition Everest, drilling directly through the bench seating to secure them, as we reported when umbrellas were installed and drilled through benches at the amphitheater.
- Ongoing: Disney has now installed a matching set of umbrellas on the Tropical Americas side of the amphitheater, using the same mounting method in teal blue instead of red.
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I don’t have any feedback on the existence or function of these umbrellas or what it means for the use of the space. But aesthetically, it would be nice if rather than uniform off-the-shelf umbrellas that we see in shopping centers or our our backyards, if they had more organic or indigenous fabric patterns that evoke the cultures represented nearby, which still could be zonally color-coded.
The umbrellas on the Asia side could feature a mix of bold Bagru and delicate Sanganeri prints, accented by Phulkari-inspired florals, selective ikat geometry, and Kullu or Kinnauri woven-border motifs — focusing on red, maroon, cinnamon brown, orange, and pink. Meanwhile the Tropical Americas side could have Wayuu-inspired geometric patterns in teals and blues with accents of yellow and green.
This approach would convey the lived-in authentic look and cultural richness this park hangs its hat on.