This is an example of using the Simple Present to describe events in the past while telling a story. A skilled storyteller can fluidly glide between tenses when describing the past. It's an advanced technique that can be utilized to keep the reader or listener interested in the story. It seems more immediate when there is a wider variety of tenses being used rather than having everything expressed in the Simple Past, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, etc.

Hi, Yes! We use the present simple for something scheduled. Examples: 1.We have a lesson next Monday. 2.The train arrives at 6.30 in the morning. 3. The holidays start next week.