'Stranger Things' Season 3 Release Date and First Poster Revealed

As people around the globe were celebrating 2019 when the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, Stranger Things fans were given another reason to party. The highly-anticipated third season’s release date was announced, along with a fun video and the first poster. Unlike the previous two seasons, Season 3 will see summertime in Hawkins. It hits Netflix on July 4, 2019.

The announcement video begins with Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, showing the host count down to the new year of 1985. Text reading “One summer can change everything…” then appears, followed by the release date.

The season’s first poster was also released on the Stranger Things official Twitter, which is honestly even more exciting than the video. The photo shows the gang—Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and Max (Sadie Sink)—outside while watching 4th of July fireworks.

Eleven and Mike are shown holding hands, confirming they’ll be in a relationship this season—something producer Shawn Levy revealed earlier this year. But we can’t help but notice the terrified look on her face, along with on Will’s. Throughout both seasons, these two characters have inarguably been through the most, so it makes sense they wouldn’t just be enjoying the holiday festivities without a worry. Mike looks almost as scared, as he watches Eleven’s face.

The bottom of the poster appears to include a bit of the Demogorgon, or at least some type of menacing creature. This season is set to be the darkest one yet, so we can expect there to be way more danger for the kids of Hawkins.

The countdown is officially on until July 4.

This article also appears on Mental Floss.