The original noon start was delayed because of the poor weather and the festival eventually opened at around 6 pm.
The annual event is a celebration of Portuguese cuisine with live music also being provided by local acts and Portuguese musician Alexys.
Bernie Manning, entertainment organiser for the festival, said: ‘We had quite a good crowd down there yesterday which I was slightly surprised at for the first day.
‘We would expect the busiest days to be the Saturday, Sunday and Monday and I think the weather is meant to be better for the next few days so hopefully we will see a lot of people coming.’
As well as musical entertainment, there will also be a Sunday mass at noon.
The festival is open between noon and 10.30 pm until Monday.
Anyone looking for further information should visit the festival’s new Facebook page, Comite de Geminacao St Helier-Funchal.
