Formal Hall

Formal Hall or Formal Meal is a meal held at some of the oldest universities in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland (as well as some other Commonwealth countries) at which students usually dress in formal attire and often gowns to dine. These are held commonly in the colleges of Oxford,Cambridge,Dublin, Durham, St Andrews, University of Bristol, Royal Holloway London, Nottingham, the Australian Sandstone universities (Adelaide, Melbourne, Queensland, Sydney, Tasmania, Western Australia), and the University of Toronto.

In a number of red brick universities, some halls such as those at Bristol and Exeter, also practise similar traditions in order to increase interaction between academics and students, and to enrich the students' overall learning experience. Colleges of some Australian red brick universities, including the Australian National University, Monash University, the University of New England, the University of New South Wales and the University of Southern Queensland, also hold gowned formal dinners.

...
Wikipedia