Mahjong in the Sun builds on growing trend

By Taylor Colby - Ponte Vedra Recorder - April 2, 2026

“Mahjong is having its pickleball moment,” said Laura Gainor, founder of Pickleball in the Sun and Mahjong in the Sun. Mahjong is a Chinese four-player skill game popular around the globe. The game is growing in popularity and provides a relaxing and fun social outlet for many people.

“It’s strategic, it’s stylish and, most importantly, it creates connection,” Gainor said. She said that, like pickleball, Mahjong is becoming a lifestyle and community movement.

Mahjong in the Sun stemmed from Gainor’s work with Pickleball in the Sun.

“After helping brands and destinations tap into the pickleball boom, I started seeing those same signals emerging with mahjong, especially as a more relaxed, social complement to active experiences,” Gainor explained. She also took the opportunity to educate members of the community about the game and help them to get started.

“The idea became: pickleball in the morning, mahjong in the afternoon,” she said.

Mahjong in the Sun hosts weekly meetup events including Friday Club at Really Good Beer Stop in Nocatee from 1 to 3 p.m. There is a fun mix of seasoned players and beginners who enjoy watching to learn before jumping in to play. Gainor said Mahjong in the Sun plans to expand to resort and destination programming, corporate retreats and team-building experiences, pickleball club integrations and themed events such as “Mahj Madness.”

Mahjong in the Sun is beginning to add charitable events to the program as well. Mahjong in the Sun also offers community events and Mahjong 101 experiences, private events and corporate activations, consulting for venues, brand partnerships and experiential marketing and birthday parties.

“One of the most exciting areas is helping non-endemic brands get involved in the mahjong movement in an authentic way,” Gainor said. This can include custom branding mahjong tablecloths for events, co-hosted experiences, collaborations with leading mahjong companies and showcasing unique products.

When asked what she likes best about what she does, Gainor said she loves getting to be a part of helping something new in the community grow. She enjoyed that experience with pickleball and is currently enjoying shaping the growth of mahjong as a way to connect with others in the community and beyond.

“What’s been really special is how quickly it’s created real connection,” Gainor said.

Gainor said she and her friends enjoy meeting up for lunch and playing for hours or playing online versions of the game in their free time as busy wives and mothers.

“That’s the magic of it — it’s creating connection in ways that feel effortless and fun,” Gainor said. She said her work with Mahjong in the Sun has been very rewarding. “We’re building new friendships, strengthening existing ones and growing a community here in Ponte Vedra.”

To go to a Mahjong in the Sun event, you don’t need a group or even know how to play. All you need to do is show up.

“We’re building a community here locally in Ponte Vedra and Northeast Florida, but also working with brands and destinations across the country to bring this experiences to new audiences,” said Gainor.

To learn more, follow @mahjonginthesun on Instagram and TikTok and visit their Facebook page or mahjonginthesun.com to stay up-to-date on upcoming events, partnerships and products.