“Everything changed on November 6th, 1983.”

That single sentence marks the beginning — and now, the myth — of Stranger Things. On that day, Will Byers vanished in Hawkins, Indiana, and with him, the illusion of a normal small-town life.
What began as a desperate search for a missing boy became one of the most influential pop culture phenomena of the 21st century — a perfect blend of nostalgia, horror, and friendship that redefined streaming.

Today, November 6th, fans around the world celebrate Stranger Things Day — the unofficial holiday marking the moment the portal to the Upside Down opened. And this year, the celebration comes with two major announcements: the release schedule for the final season and a brand-new animated spinoff, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85.

The beginning of the end

Netflix confirmed that Stranger Things Season 5 — the show’s grand finale — will arrive in three volumes, all premiering on holiday weekends:

• Volume 1: November 26 (4 episodes)
• Volume 2: December 25 (3 episodes)
• The Finale: December 31

The Duffer Brothers promise an epic, emotional conclusion — one that comes full circle. The story began with Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), and it will end with him, too.

The original cast is back for this final chapter: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Priah Ferguson, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke, Joe Keery, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, and Brett Gelman.

The final episodes are expected to bring closure to the emotional and supernatural threads that have haunted Hawkins since that November night in 1983.

Welcome to Tales from ’85

But Stranger Things Day 2025 wasn’t just about endings — it was about what comes next.
Netflix officially announced Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, an animated series premiering in 2026, set in the icy winter of 1985, between Seasons 2 and 3 of the original show.

Produced by Flying Bark Productions and showrun by Eric Robles, the series will feature the Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy (21 Laps), Hilary Leavitt, and Dan Cohen as executive producers.

The voice cast includes Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, Luca Diaz as Mike, Elisha Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Ben Plessala as Will, and Brett Gipson as Hopper — with special appearances by Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips.

“The idea was to evoke the feeling of an ’80s cartoon,” Matt Duffer explained.
Showrunner Robles added, “What we’ve been able to capture is the magic of Hawkins in a new way.”

The animation will blend vintage Saturday-morning style with paranormal mystery — a nostalgic expansion of the Stranger Things universe for a new generation.

Why do we still celebrate November 6th

Stranger Things Day is more than just a fandom ritual — it’s a shared time capsule.

It’s the day we remember the blend of fear and innocence that defined the series: the bikes, the flashlights, the synth soundtrack, the Christmas lights spelling out a desperate message across a living room wall.

It’s the reminder that the supernatural always lurks just beneath the everyday — and that friendship remains the ultimate superpower.

At Miscelana, we’ve written about how Stranger Things transcends the monsters and the nostalgia. It’s about growing up, losing what we love, and finding our way back. Today, we celebrate all of that — the boy who vanished, the girl who found her power, and the friends who never stopped believing.

Because in Hawkins, time may be frozen in 1983, but the heartbeat of the fandom keeps pulsing — louder than ever.