Formal Hall is the name given to a formal evening meal at any Doxbridge college. The meals are often referred to as "formals". The wearing of gowns at formals is often compulsory and various other traditions are usually observed, including grace said in Latin. Different colleges have varying policies on formals. Some hold them several times a week, while others do so quite rarely. Some have elaborate traditions, while others are more relaxed.

The tradition of pennying is long established in most Cambridge and Durham formal halls. This, quite simply, involves someone placing a penny coin in another's wine glass. The other person then has to "down" (drink) all the wine in the glass in one go. A series of complex rules have developed from this. A double penny occurs when a penny is placed in a glass which already contains a penny. In such cases, the person who has placed the second penny in the glass must down the wine. Pennies can also be placed in food, in which case the recipient must eat the food on the plate without using his or her hands.

The largest "formals" are believed to be at Van Mildert College, Durham, where 440 guests are usually present.