When will the fireworks be for the 4th of July? Will they be on the weekend or on Monday the 4th? Also, is there a good hotel near where the fireworks and the Boston Pops will be?

The Boston Pops (and fireworks) are always on the 4th. However, there is also a fireworks display in Boston harbor on the 3rd. It's not as big, but if you can get on a harbor cruise (or have a friend with a boat) it's very nice.

This year, as always, the Fourth of July fireworks will be held on the Fourth of July.

Here's the full schedule of events; it's actually a 6-day festival.

http://www.bostonharborfest.com/

Any ideas for a hotel?

I would suggest you check the Cambridge side of the river - the Marriott at Kendall Sq and the Sonesta. Right in the thick of things (and crowds) in Boston, the Holiday Inn at Governement Center/MGH or the John Jefferies House. Hotels in the Back Bay would have a fairly short walk.

We did this last year and spend 3 nights over the 4th and it was great. We stayed at the Lenox which is right in town where the action is. We had a great room and got a rate of $169 a nite.

One local tip--you can hear the Boston Pops in the Hatch Shell (I believe) the nights preceding the 4th. That way you avoid the crowds and have the 'experience' of the Hatch Shell without getting there at 6 a.m.! You won't have fireworks there, but you could watch them from the Cambridge side of the river (Marriott or Sonesta good suggestions) on the 4th.

Just so you know, it's very difficult if not impossible to do both the Pops and the fireworks on the fourth due to the enourmous amount of people. We set up camp on 4th as early as 9am near the Hatch Shell...waited...(we lived in Beacon Hill at the time so it really wasn't that bad)...and enjoyed the show, but when the fireworks started we couldn't really enjoy them b/c the trees were blocking our view of the sky and you can't exactly move from one place to another (even a distance of 20 or so feet) without stepping on someone. I would concur with previous posters, try to catch the rehearsal on the third and enjoy the fireworks from Cambridgeside. There's plenty of other Bostonside stuff to do (hear the Declaration of Independence at the old State House) on the fourth without contending with the throngs of people by the river.