A Winning Season: Gameday is set to deliver
Tailgating of years past used to involve merely a cooler, folding chair and something to eat before kickoff. Now, it’s a hosting moment involving men, women and families alike.
Boot Bows. Weekend Whimsies.
Across categories, wholesalers are witnessing gameday take on the same intentionality and preparedness as everyday entertaining. Plastic serveware is being replaced with ceramic, spreads are more elaborate and the decor itself is thoughtful, curated and celebratory.
“Tailgating has evolved from a traditional backyard feel to a more elevated hosting experience,” said Katie Blazer, creative director at Mud Pie. “Consumers are bringing the same intentionality they apply to everyday entertaining to gameday, with an emphasis on pieces they feel are both festive and functional.”
For customers, gameday is yet another reason to gather, to set the table and, as such, to invest in pieces that elevate the occasion.
Spirit & Style
Preparing for kickoff is now also its own apparel category, particularly for women as they host and participate in tailgates more than ever before.
“Gameday has completely evolved into its own fashion moment,” said Kait Fontenot, co-founder of Weekend Whimsies, sister company to Sorority & Sisterhood. “Women aren’t just wearing their team colors anymore — they’re curating a look.”
Instead of last-minute logo tees, customers are reaching for pieces that better align with their personal styles. “Our customers want to look like they put thought into their outfit, not like they grabbed a generic tee on the way out the door,” Fontenot said.
Weekend Whimsies’ Sideline Sisters Gameday collection was founded to meet this demand.
“We kept seeing the same thing everywhere: mass-produced merchandise that felt disposable. The same sunglass bags. Nothing that a woman would actually treasure or want to gift,” Fontenot said. “Our artist and co-founder Liz Hardin illustrates every single design, and from the beginning we asked ourselves: What would an actually want to wear?”
The company leans into a feminine, lifestyle-driven approach to fan apparel. For Weekend Whimsies, its signature pajama sets continue to lead as they work not just as apparel, but as part of the gameday experience.
Pajama Shorts Set —
Auburn. Weekend
Whimsies.
“The pajama sets are unquestionably our hero product; they started everything and remain the item customers come back for,” Fontenot said. “There’s something about the ritual of it, putting on a matching set with your girlfriends before a big game. It’s become a tradition for a lot of our customers.”
Accessories follow a similar soft-yet-gameday-ready aesthetic. The scarflettes and boot bows work well for retailers because they’re an accessible entry point for customers — and an easy add-on at the register.
“We’re all Louisiana women, we grew up in a culture where getting dressed for an occasion means something, so we built a collection that honors that,” she said. “The scarflettes, the boot bows, the pajama sets — these are pieces that travel with you. You wear them to the watch party Friday night, you pack them for the away game, you give them as gifts to your whole crew. The gap we saw was a luxury gameday brand built specifically for women, by women who actually live this lifestyle.”
Sporty Tableware
No tailgate is complete without snacks, and Mud Pie is elevating the serveware options with sports-themed ceramic pieces, snack trays and sectioned platters.
“We’re seeing a strong interest in elevated snack presentations that go beyond your traditional plastic dishes, and more of a gravitation toward ceramic serving bowls that are extra special,” Blazer said.
Additionally, Mud Pie’s Gourmet collection, introduced in 2025, tells a complete entertaining story by aiming to provide customers everything they need in one place, instead of expecting them to piece it together individually.
Take something like the company’s Snack Bowl Gift Set, which pairs a ceramic bowl with Stonewall Kitchen’s Ultimate Snack Mix — this is ready for a gameday spread as-is. For retailers, that kind of pairing makes selling easier, too.
Merchandising Wins
How retailers present the category can often determine how well it performs in-store.
“Storytelling is key,” Blazer said. “Creating a dedicated gameday entertaining display that showcases serveware, snack essentials and hosting accessories together helps customers quickly visualize how they might use the products.”
The displays that truly resonate with a customer will invite her into the moment, evoking the gameday excitement and vision. That shift from product to scenario helps her make decisions because she’s no longer imagining if she needs it, she’s imagining how she’ll use it.
“Lead with lifestyle, not logos. The retailers who do this best create a moment on the floor that makes a customer stop and picture herself in the scene: game day morning, coffee in hand, matching set on, tray styled on the counter,” Fontenot said. “Don’t underestimate the gifting angle. A huge percentage of our orders are gifts — moms buying for daughters, best friends buying for each other before a rivalry game. Merchandising with that customer in mind converts beautifully.”
