Grab your Eggo Waffles, because Stranger Things Day is just around the corner.
The Nov. 6 holiday commemorates the day Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) went missing in season one, sparking a series of fascinating supernatural adventures, a generation of Hollywood's next child stars and the resurgence of Winona Ryder.
So it's no wonder that the streamer is pulling out all of the stops to celebrate Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and company. The big day kicks off at midnight tonight and promises lots of teases for season four. For instance, at 7 a.m. PT, the social media accounts for Stranger Things will reveal specifics about a new location that will be featured in season four: The golden state of California.
Hawkins, Indiana, has been the home base for the past three seasons, but with the Byers moving out of town and Jim Hopper (David Harbour) imprisoned in Russia, we expected to leave the Hoosier State. Not to mention, a teaser from September 2019 noted, "we're not in hawkins anymore."
Curious for more? Netflix instructed fans to keep an eye on their social channels all day for eye-opening reveals. Here's the full schedule—and little descriptions courtesy of Netflix:
Midnight PT: Head to the Stranger Things social channels to start the celebration.
7 a.m. PT: One word: California. Get ready for a tease of this final season four location.
9 a.m. PT: Explore the world of Stranger Things like never before with the first official map of Hawkins, created by artist Kyle Lambert.
11am PT: Get a sneak peek at the Stranger Things 4 episode titles.
1 p.m. PT: Take a tour of our first-ever Stranger Things pop-up stores opening in Los Angeles and New York City.
2 p.m. PT: It's a "How We Stranger Things Day" spotlight. Get an inside look at how to celebrate the day from some of our amazing creators and collectors.
4 p.m. PT: From streetwear to stranger, watch the cast transform into their new looks for Stranger Things 4.
While we wait for the celebration to start, let's take a closer look at everything we know about Stranger Things' fourth season.
Stranger Things was renewed for season four in September 2019. And, thanks to a captivating teaser on Twitter, it was clear that the new season would venture outside the Indiana town. The caption read: "we're not in hawkins anymore."
All the way back in October 2019, the Stranger Things writers' Twitter account introduced Video Store Fridays, a list of movies which, according to the post, "relate in some way or another to season four."
The first films listed? The Peanut Butter Solution, The Fisher King, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, You've Got Mail and Ordinary People.
The writers kept this up for about six months, listing everything from Hellraiser 2 to Billy Madison and more.
In November 2019, it was teased that the first episode of season four is titled, "Chapter One: the Hellfire Club." What exactly is the Hellfire club? We have some theories, but we guess we'll have to wait and see.
For those who may need a refresher, it was unclear at the end of Stranger Things season three whether David Harbour's character Jim Hopper was still alive. By February 2020, Netflix released a teaser that showed a bald Hopper imprisoned in Russia.
On what fans can expect from season four, David Harbour told Deadline that "it's very epic and very big in a Stranger Things way." The leading man teased monsters, horror, scares and "great Indiana Jones-type action."
Additionally, fans can expect more of Hopper's backstory.
Just when we thought the Stranger Things cast couldn't get more impressive, Netflix announced eight additional cast members in November 2020, including Eduardo Franco, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sherman Augustus, Mason Dye, Joseph Quinn, Tom Wlaschiha, Nikola Djuricko and Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund.
In May 2021, a new teaser indicated that the origin story of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) will be explored more. At the start of the clip, a number of youngsters with closely cropped hair are seen playing with educational toys. Later, Dr. Martin Brenner, a.k.a. "Papa" (Matthew Modine), appears to be seen from the back as he walks in and says in a voiceover, "Good morning, children."
As Brenner continues to interact with the children, heavy breathing is heard as a camera pans to a door with an 11 on it. The clip comes to an end with the ominous doctor asking, "Eleven, are you listening?"
Four new faces joined the Stranger Things cast in June 2021, including Amybeth McNulty as Vickie, a cool, fast-talking band nerd; Myles Truitt as Patrick, a basketball star at Hawkins; Grace Van Dien as another popular student, named Chrissy; and Regina Ting Chen as Ms. Kelly, a popular guidance counselor who cares deeply for her students.
In August 2021, Netflix teased what's to come for the new season, including its return year. "See y'all in the upside down," Netflix noted in an Instagram caption. "Stranger Things returns in 2022."
It was later announced that the season would be broken up into two volumes, with the first premiering on May 27.
In a teaser from Sept. 2021, a new spooky locale was introduced: Creel House. The footage indicated that the seemingly haunted home has a dark connection to the Upside Down, and that Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Steve (Joe Keery), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and more are on the case.
On Stranger Things Day in 2021, Netflix revealed that Stranger Things season four will follow Eleven and the Byers family in their new town in California. Before fans of Eleven and Mike panic, it seems the couple will reunite over spring break. In typical Stranger Things fashion, the trip promises plenty of chaos.
Fans got a closer look at the haunted Creel House in one of the new posters.
Judging by this poster, maybe the west coast isn't the best coast after all.
Take a closer look at the lab where Eleven was created.
Season four takes viewers to Russia, meaning viewers may get answers about the origins of the Upside Down and other burning questions. This also might be where Hopper has been held after he sacrificed himself.
The Duffer Brothers confirmed season five will be Stranger Things' last in the above letter. "Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things," they wrote in part. "At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but—as you'll soon see for yourselves—we are now hurtling toward our finale."
That being said, a billboard promoting season four also teased that "every ending has a beginning," so maybe there's a spinoff in the works.
Vecna, named after a Dungeons & Dragons character, is the ominous villain in season four. In the season's trailer, Vecna says "you've broken everything, your suffering is almost at an end."
The monster is made even more frightening due to the fact that Eleven is powerless to help.
"Part of the drive and tension of this season is that we have this big new evil emerge in Hawkins, and for the first time ever, Eleven is not there," co-creator Ross Duffer told Entertainment Weekly. "Not only is she separated by distance, but at the end of season three, she's lost her powers. So even when she learns about what has happened in Hawkins, she is unable to help them in the same way she has before."
Vecna also comes with his own army of deadly bats. Yes, deadly bats.
You've been warned.
Seasons one through three of Stranger Things are available to stream on Netflix.