Equestria has a full and active social culture, as evidenced by both numerous annual celebrations and the variety of businesses shown to operate successfully. While it's clear that they're still working to support themselves, most ponies seem to have little trouble finding time to chat, play, or otherwise interact with their friends. And the ponies of Equestria seem to need little excuse to have a party.
Holidays
Special days are observed every year, mostly by holding community gatherings of various kinds.
Grand Galloping Gala
The Gala is an annual event held at Canterlot. Attending requires a ticket, provided when a pony is invited by Princess Celestia, athough it's likely that others may do so as well, particularly Princess Luna. The Gala is a formal party, which in all probablity includes dancing. On the same night, all the flowers in Canterlot's private garden are in bloom.
With known holidays occurring at the beginning of summer, winter, and spring, it's possible the Gala is a beginning of fall event.
No episode has depicted the Gala itself, but several characters imagined it in the episode "The Ticket Master."
Summer Sun Celebration
Held the day of (and the night before) the longest day of the year, also called summer solstice, the Summer Sun Celebration was, for a thousand years, also a counterpoint to Nightmare Moon's attempt to invoke everlasting night. Having Princess Celestia attend a community's Celebration day is an honor, as she is the one credited with raising the sun every morning.
In order to be awake for dawn, ponies will typically hold a party the night before, continuing at least until sunrise.
An interrupted Summer Sun Celebration is depicted in the episode "Friendship is Magic, part 1."
Running of the Leaves
Ponyville's annual Running of the Leaves is a combined race and community chore. Prizes are awarded for the winners of the race, but the true purpose is to have the hoof beats of the racers shake the autumn leaves from the trees around town. It's assumed that other communities employ magic for this task instead.
The race covers a long path, and therefore should be considered an endurance contest. Proper pacing is important, particularly as a tired racer will not produce the necessary level of shaking to clear all the trees.
Running of the Leaves is depicted in the episode "Fall Weather Friends."
Winter Wrap-up
To make way for spring, Equestrians must clear away the snow, ice, and clouds of winter. This allows them to bring back warm weather birds and plant needed crops. Most communities employ magic, but as Ponyville was settled by Earth ponies, they avoid this, relying on little more than hoof power and pegasi wings.
It's implied that Ponyvillians have been derided for failing to prepare for spring in a timely manner for several years. This changed when Twilight Sparkle lent her organizational skills to the effort. Next year's Wrap-Up will probably be better than ever.
Ponyville's Winter Wrap-Up is depicted in the episode "Winter Wrap Up."
Storm preparations
The pegasus ponies of Equestria manage the area's weather, so it's unusual for a community to be surprised by a storm. Yet on those occasions when a storm must happen, it's important to be ready. One part of this is the removal of dead and broken branches from trees.
Storm preparations were depicted at the beginning of the episode "Look Before You Sleep."
Parties
Cute-ceanera
A cute-ceañera is a party held for a young pony who has just received her cutie mark. Fancy dress does not seem required. This event is clearly based on the Latin American quinceañera, a coming-of-age party for teenage girls.
A cute-ceañera for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon is depicted in the episode "Call of the Cutie."
Slumber parties
While normally a very informal event, there is a book titled, "Slumber 101: All You've Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask." There doesn't appear to be anything unusual about Equestrian slumber parties compared with those held on Earth, and they engage in much the same activities: makeovers, pillow fights, games (including Truth or Dare and Twenty Questions), and snacks.
Twilight Sparkle's first slumber party is depicted in the episode "Look Before You Sleep."
Pinkie Pie
The Earth pony Pinkie Pie is a master party-thrower. With less than a day's notice, she's thrown parties for Twilight Sparkle and Gilda. She's also suggested parties after the defeat of Nightmare Moon and Applejack stopping a stampede. She (or at least Sugarcube Corner) also hosted a cute-ceañera.
Business
Equestria has a thriving economy, evidenced by an absence of "poor" ponies being depicted. A variety of businesses exist even in a (probably smaller) community such as Ponyville, and coins of what appears to be gold are used for common exchanges.
Marketplace
Ponyville has a thriving market culture, and oft times many ponies can be found straying through the busy downtown section of the village. Carts are usually set up by private business owners such as Applejack or the Flower Ponies, from which they peddle their wares. In addition to being a market area, the central meeting place where it is set up is also used as a general meeting and socializing area. Artists also gather to show off their talents, and perhaps busk a few coins of a generous pony.
Farms
Farming seems to be the largest business in Ponyville by far. Food is, of course, essential, and the prinicple reource is found across the bountiful lands of Equestira. Other than the obvious Sweet Apple Acres that Applejack works in, there have been seen flower gardens, carrot acres, a milking shed and certainly all the cloth that Rarity uses has to come from somewhere. While each pony usually tends to their own farm, they have no issue in helping out for a social cause; as seen during Winter Wrap Up when all the ponies across the land aided in growing all the various crops together.
Sugarcube Corner
Main article: Sugarcube Corner
A bakery does exist, run by Mr. and Mrs. Cake. In addition to providing the delicious cakes required for many of Ponyville's multiple parties, they also allow Pinkie Pie to both use their shop and run rampant within it at her will. Perhaps a sign of the close-knit society that the ponies live in, or perhaps a sign that Pinkie Pie is a force to be reckoned with.
Bathhouse
While ponies seem to own their own bathing utilities (Pinkie Pie has a bathroom, complete with alligator accessories), there seems to be a public bathhouse reminiscent of a spa or a beauty salon. The building contains within a shared bathing 'bucket', and is run by a yet-unnamed pony with a thick European accent. The shop is also seen to contain luxury loungers with towels, possibly hinting toward other services other than merely bathing (as we know, mud facials DO exist in the pony world). Again, a sign of their open society is how the owner freely allowed her baths to be overrought with strange herbs and plants, and in fact enjoyed it enough to ask Zecora for the 'recipe'.
Rarity's Clothing Shop
The prettiest shop in all of Ponyville! Or maybe not. But it doesn't matter, because it's what's inside that counts, and what's inside is Rarity making her fantastic dresses and elaborate gowns. Her main purchaser seems to be Canterlot rather than Ponyville itself, as it is seen that ponies from Ponyville don't seem to wear much clothing in the first place, and Applejack rarely cares about anything else besides her 'old duds'. Perhaps Rarity does the designs of the jackets during the Winter Wrap Up, or maybe little blankets for the commonfolk, but her true aspirations lie in selling the most extravagant and elaborate gowns to the people of Canterlot, who buy her individually-designed clothing for the Grand Galloping Gala. Recently, Rarity has made a big impression with Hoity-Toity, a fashion lord from Canterlot, who has ordered her dresses for sale in his boutiques.
Joke Shop
When preparing for a long series of pranks, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash first visit Ponyville's joke shop, designed to resemble a jester's hat. There they pick up a wide variety of items, including sneezing powder, disappearing ink, water soluble paints, something to leave a stain from using an eyepiece, and the makings of a squirting turtle.
Restaurants
While the exact number and nature of eateries in Ponyville are uncertain, there is at least one café which serves an extremely delicious daffodil and daisy sandwich, but unfortunately doesn't cater gemstones. The shop has both outdoors and indoors seating, and provide comfortable bales of hay for ponies to sit upon while they eat on their nature-themed mushroom tables. A true and proper gentlepony works as a waiter there, and cares deeply about his profession.