The first WordPress release candidate for WordPress 3.5 has been released.
Expect the next one (RC 2) to come out on Monday. The plan is to have WordPress 3.5 rolling out in the first week of December. No doubt the core developers want to have a little seasonal holiday break 
Following a series of beta releases, final testing begins with RC1
http://wordpress.org/news/2012/05/wordpress-3-4-release-candidate/
This is the time when developers, hosts and enthusiast who want a sneak peek into how their sites with the latest release, but don’t want to take part in the core development cycle, really really should test.
Release candidates are like being given a pre-release. It is stable. It has been tested. Unless YOU find any issues, this will be the next release of WordPress. So get stuck in!
Here is the (hopefully) final release candidate:
http://wordpress.org/news/2011/12/wordpress-3-3-rc3/
It’s looking like a very merry Christmas!
WordPress 3.3 Release Candidate 2 has hit the ‘net!
Looks like the core team are keeping it hot! Full release expected this side of Christmas!
All my seasonal wishes are coming true
It seems beta testing is done. WordPress 3.3 has been judged stable and ready for release. Now is the time for WordPress theme and plugin developers to check that their work is compatible with WordPress 3.3.
Don’t hesitate!