Formal Hall 

Formal Halls - or ‘Formals’ - are a central feature of the University of Cambridge. Traditionally, these allowed students and Fellows to intermingle every night of the week, and were designed to help foster an intensive, cross-disciplinary research environment. 

Today, they’re less formal affairs - although this depends on the college. 

To attend, you are usually expected to wear formal or national attire, or smart casual dress. Some colleges, including Robinson, require their students to wear academic gowns; others, like Wolfson, Darwin or Clare Hall, do not. 

At Robinson, Formal Hall takes place twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday evenings, in the Main Dining Hall (which you can access via Long Court or via the ramp that leads down to the Garden Restaurant, which is just nextdoor). 

Refreshments are served from 7pm on the Hall Balcony; there is no corkage fee for alcohol. 

For more information, including information regarding dress codes, see here. 

Gowns

The Gown is an academic dress at the University of Cambridge.

The SU have provided a very handy guide about the ins and outs of gowns.
If you are still unsure about which gown to buy, you can always ask a member of the MCR, who should be able to help.
When you arrive in town, there are a few stores where you can buy or rent them. Ryder & Amies is probably the most well-known store and slightly lower priced; Ede and Ravenscroft is a more expensive alternative. Both can be found in the centre of Cambridge on King’s Parade.
It might be that if you order one close to matriculation, it will not arrive on time. In this case, the place you are purchasing from will usually have an option to borrow one until your order arrives. 

Formal Hall Procedure

Formal Hall has its own sense of theatre, and that’s one of the reasons why it’s so popular with students. Diners are usually expected to arrive at 19:00, with dinner served at 19:30 sharp. When you arrive, don’t sit down straight away; wait until the Catering Manager bangs the ‘gong’ and, as sometimes takes place, the grace is read.