Getting your foot in the door?

So I have searched for all the local fairs, fetes and fun days. Contacted them all and they have all but one come back to me to say that they have a face painter already. A couple of them told me who they have and I know that I can do a better job for them. I feel quite torn as I don't want to someone out of work but wonder if it is worth appraoching them about sharing the work at bigger events? It is a hard one I know but how do you get your first few gigs?

You're a bit behind the 8-ball, timewise. (Assuming you're in the Northern Hemisphere), Fairs and Festivals often have vendors booked months in advance. You need to start looking at fall festivals and winter/holiday bazaars, not summer ones, If you want to get a foot in the door for the coming seasons.

See if there is a local festival/fair association for your state. They'll often send you, or you can find online a list of upcoming festivals/fairs that you can plan around. Google is your best friend.

You can approach the other painters about sharing the festival, but be prepared to get "no thanks" responses...they booked it first.

Thanks TheGildedCat, I think that I will focus on Winter/Sping and in terms of fairs and concentrate my energy on the party bookings that I have for the summer.

I am keen to create some original designs and practice practice practice.