Located in the eastern part of the region, it is bordered by the municipalities of Auderghem, the City of Brussels, Ixelles, Schaerbeek, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.

The following two centuries counted several grievous moments: in 1489, Albert III, Duke of Saxony, ravaged Etterbeek in his pursuit of the rebels who fought against Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian; in 1580, the village was destroyed again, this time by iconoclasts during the Wars of Religion.

In the 1900s (decade), during the reign of King Leopold II, construction boomed and changed the town's character with the addition of the broad avenues and residential areas that exist today.

Akin to neighbouring Ixelles and Schaerbeek, Etterbeek also has a large Muslim population, mainly of North African origin.

This project would result in the Municipal Hall and police station being relocated to new buildings in a central administrative centre on this site.

Previously held at the end of May on the Avenue du Deuxième Régiment de Lanciers/Tweede Lansiers Regimentelaan in the south of the municipality, in recent years, it has taken place at the Cinquantenaire.