Grand Galloping Gala

The Grand Galloping Gala is an annual Royal Ball attended by high class ponies. The event held in Canterlot and attendance requires a golden ticket, as seen in the episode The Ticket Master. As Twilight Sparkle was invited by Princess Celestia as her friends beg for the ticket they show on how they think the Gala would be and what their dreams are if they went there. When Twilight couldn't decide who got the ticket she gave them back to Celestia but then she sent 7 other tickets (the other one for Spike who got it later.)

Before The Best Night Ever, there was no clear view of what the Gala truly looked like, as none of the main ponies have ever attended before. This leads to much in-story speculation: Pinkie Pie believes it is the single biggest party in all of Equestria, filled with snacks, decorations, and party games. Rainbow Dash claimed that the Wonderbolts perform every year. Fluttershy said that all the flowers in Canterlot's private garden are in bloom during the night of the event, with some of the most exotic wildlife in Equestria present (avian creatures, specifically). Regardless of speculation, it is considered one of Equestria's most elite and sophisticated events of the year; only the most deserving are allowed to attend and by invitation only.

The gala itself is shown only as how Rarity imagines it in The Ticket Master. While she has never attended, she knows it is a formal event, as she confirms that she designs dress attire for the invited ponies every year. The making of gowns for the gala is the instigator of the plot for Suited for Success. Twilight Sparkle thought it would be a opportunity to get close to the princess and report to her of all of her adventures, and Applejack thought the gala would be the perfect place to sell her apple-based homemade food so she can use the money to fix the roof on her barn, Big Macintosh's plow and Granny Smith's hip and Spike says the Gala is "to girly for me." and pretends to refuse the ticket that Celestia gave them.

Upon arriving, the Grand Galloping Gala is revealed to be an incredibly formal event and is not the thing the six main ponies have imagined: it was everything they'd dreamed of, but not necessarily what they had expected or hoped for. They had attempted to make it special in their own way, only to have everything literally fall apart and the party ending in total chaos. The party is shown to be made up of highly aristocratic, snobbish partygoers who did not indulge in the typical partying the main ponies had hoped to partake in. They eventually met up with Princess Celestia outside the castle, who stated that their involvement had actually made the event lively, compared to the previous Galas and despite the circumstances of the latest one.