It most definitely does! Actually had a friend get into both BC and Wake and opted to go to BC. When he visited both places, he said the tailgating atmosphere was more prominent at Wake during his visit (I’ve never been to BC so I couldn’t confirm that statement, but I’d say he’s got a valid opinion). Wouldn’t be able to compare it to ND though.
I, myself, only went to 1 or 2 tailgates and I felt like I wasn’t left out or out of place for not attending more (I’m a bit more of an introvert). Whenever we’d win, I would often just walk out of my dorm to the quad and see all the students teepeeing the trees, it’s really a cool sight to see. Other students are true Demon Deacons and go to every home game! Games on Wednesdays-Saturdays are often accompanied by lots of victory parties in the evenings at frats. School spirit is strong here which, sports fan or not, is a nice thing to have on a campus in my opinion! So the short answer is that it does play a big role but those who don’t care for sports will not feel left out!