"The festival started yesterday, and we observe quite a high popularity although we have intentionally not promoted the first day [of the festival]. A total of 17,300 fans attended the festival yesterday, with the peak load being 10,5000," Gavrikov said.

The festival kicked off on Thursday at Rostov-on-Don's central square. Earlier, Gavrikov said that a minimum of 350,000 and a maximum of more than one million people were expected to visit the fan zone during the World Cup.

Gavrikov added that visitors were most interested in the World Cup opening match broadcast and the performance of Russian music band IOWA.

"We managed to create the right mood, people were happy, there was no negative feedback," Gavrikov said.

The fan zone includes recreational areas, where one can play table football, visit art objects or enjoy live performances of Russian music artists, as well as a 1,500 square feet screen where the matches will be broadcast.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will last till July 15, with the games set to be played at 12 stadiums across 11 Russian cities. Rostov-on-Don will host four group-stage games and one round of 16 match.