To LDT.

May I suggest playing for a Morris side may be your way forward.
You can get invites to Festivals that may give you access to the events for free or for a reduced price (you won't be able to go tothose that clash with your performances of course), and you may be able to scrounge a lift with another side member.
Also an intense weekend of playing the same tunes with other muscians will improve your own confidence and playing!

All good advice (and enormous fun in its own right of course) ... but you're not going to get to see many of the booked acts if you're on at a festival with a morris side.

If you're primarily going to a festival for the sessions, the singarounds and the general festival atmosphere you'll be fine - but by the time you've done your side's spots you're always either too late to get in the queue, or at the other side of town, or just plain knackered / hungry / well-refreshed / involved in the general malarkey of the morris side to get to any of the main concerts.

Which is as it should be, punters who've paid full price for their ticket should definitely get priority over the people who get reduced / free tickets as performers. But it's only human nature to be a little peeved that one of your favourite acts might be on three separate spots during the festival, and you miss every single one because your own commitments get in the way ... or even worse, as I had a couple of years back, the same act (Mike McGoldrick for what's it's worth) was at three festivals we were dancing at, and I didn't hear or see him play a note all Summer ...