The municipality consists of the following districts: Arbre, Ath, Bouvignies, Ghislenghien, Gibecq, Houtaing, Irchonwelz, Isières, Lanquesaint, Ligne, Maffle, Mainvault, Meslin-l'Évêque, Moulbaix, Ormeignies, Ostiches, Rebaix, Villers-Notre-Dame, and Villers-Saint-Amand.

Ath is known as the "City of Giants" after the Ducasse d'Ath festivities which take place every year on the fourth weekend in August.

The origin of the city of Ath, however, dates from around 1160, when Count Baudouin IV of Hainaut, bought some territory from his liegeman, Gilles de Trazegnies.

The production of linen, cloth, hide, and luxury items such as gold ware, cabinets, and sculptures was growing fast.

In 1667, Ath was conquered in a single day by the army of Louis XIV and became the first French city of the Spanish Netherlands.

Around 8:30 am local time, workers constructing a new factory for abrasives firm Diamant Boart [nl] (a subsidiary of the Electrolux Group)[5][6] reported a strong smell of gas.

[7] The “Ducasse”[8] originated from a yearly procession developed in the 15th century (first mentioned in 1399) as a celebration of the consecration of the local Saint Julien church.

Today, the “Ducasse” is a very popular celebration that includes various festivities and lasts several days spanning the end of August and beginning of September.

It was delisted in 2022 following complaints about one of the characters that appears in the procession: a 'savage', depicted by a white person in blackface, wearing a nose ring and chains.