Abstract: It is desirable to protect playground structures from direct exposure to sunlight. The present invention relates to a system and method for providing shade for playground structures to provide such protection. Playground structures include columns used to support the playground structure. A shade fixture can be made comprising shade material over supporting structural members, including at least one column. Such a shade fixture can be secured to a playground structure by attaching the column of the shade fixture to multiple columns of the playground structure. It may be desirable to have the length of a shade fixture column be variable to account for variable playground structure column heights. The one column creates a bridge between columns. The columns can be adjacent to each other or at a distance. The bridge creates a more rigid structure and supports the weight of the shade material.