LAS VEGAS — First Friday may take a break in November while city officials and event organizers review safety following a shooting near Charleston Boulevard and Main Street during October’s festival, Mayor Shelley Berkley said Tuesday, Oct. 13. Berkley said Metro Police, city marshals and the First Friday Foundation are working together on the review. The city is not seeking to end the monthly event, she said, and it could return in December. She did not specify which safety measures are being considered. The possibility of a pause has raised questions among Arts District business owners and artists about how the event might return and who would bear the cost of a month without its crowds. Derek Stonebarger, owner of Arts District businesses Rebar and Davy’s, said the neighborhood is less dependent on First Friday than it was a decade or more ago, so a pause would not be devastating for his businesses. He is more concerned about artists who count on festival sales to cover rent and said he would try to find space for them at his businesses if the event is suspended. Stonebarger said the festival has paused before and could come back with a smaller footprint. He also expects people to continue gathering in the neighborhood on the first Friday of the month, whether or not an organized event takes place, and hopes police presence would remain. For Izaac Zevalking, owner of Recycled Propaganda, First Friday has been a major part of his career. He has participated for 12 years and serves on the boards of First Friday and the 18b Arts District Association. Zevalking said artists prepare work for the event because it brings a reliable audience. Zevalking, who said he was painting near the site of the shooting that night, said a break could give the community time to heal and rethink how the festival supports artists and the neighborhood. He suggested using it as a chance to help emerging artists move toward gallery shows and larger projects. His gallery plans to continue hosting exhibitions, and Stonebarger said his businesses will stay open if First Friday pauses. The city and organizers have not announced a decision on November’s event or specific changes to its safety plan.