diff --git a/examples/user_guide/Deploy_and_Export.ipynb b/examples/user_guide/Deploy_and_Export.ipynb
index cc0ee478c1..8efce3fa4e 100644
--- a/examples/user_guide/Deploy_and_Export.ipynb
+++ b/examples/user_guide/Deploy_and_Export.ipynb
@@ -129,6 +129,47 @@
     "The app will now run on a Bokeh server instance separate from the Jupyter notebook kernel, allowing you to quickly test that all the functionality of your app works both in a notebook and in a server context."
    ]
   },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### ipywidgets\n",
+    "\n",
+    "If the `jupyter_bokeh` package is installed it is also possible to render Panel objects as an ipywidget rather than using Bokeh's internal communication mechanisms.  You can enable ipywidgets support  globally using:\n",
+    "\n",
+    "```python\n",
+    "pn.extension(comms='ipywidgets')\n",
+    "# or\n",
+    "pn.config.comms = 'ipywidgets'\n",
+    "```\n",
+    "\n",
+    "This global setting can be useful when trying to serve an entire notebook using [Voilà](https://github.com/voila-dashboards/voila). Alternatively, we can convert individual objects to an ipywidget one at a time using the `pn.ipywidget()` function:\n",
+    "\n",
+    "```python\n",
+    "ipywidget = pn.ipywidget(pane)\n",
+    "ipywidget\n",
+    "```\n",
+    "\n",
+    "This approach also allows combining a Panel object with any other Jupyter-widget--based model:\n",
+    "\n",
+    "```python\n",
+    "from ipywidgets import Accordion\n",
+    "Accordion(children=[pn.ipywidget(pane)])\n",
+    "```"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "To use Panel's ipywidgets support in JupyterLab, the following extensions have to be installed:\n",
+    "    \n",
+    "```\n",
+    "jupyter labextension install @jupyter-widgets/jupyterlab-manager\n",
+    "jupyter labextension install @bokeh/jupyter_bokeh\n",
+    "```"
+   ]
+  },
   {
    "cell_type": "markdown",
    "metadata": {},
diff --git a/panel/__init__.py b/panel/__init__.py
index a754ceca42..756bc0e1b2 100644
--- a/panel/__init__.py
+++ b/panel/__init__.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 from .config import config, panel_extension as extension # noqa
 from .interact import interact # noqa
-from .io import state # noqa
+from .io import ipywidget, state # noqa
 from .layout import Row, Column, WidgetBox, Tabs, Spacer, GridSpec, GridBox # noqa
 from .pane import panel, Pane # noqa
 from .param import Param # noqa
diff --git a/panel/config.py b/panel/config.py
index 7b16e46a14..00b7958381 100644
--- a/panel/config.py
+++ b/panel/config.py
@@ -27,6 +27,19 @@
 _PATH = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__))
 _CSS_FILES = glob.glob(os.path.join(_PATH, '_styles', '*.css'))
 
+def validate_config(config, parameter, value):
+    """
+    Validates parameter setting on a hidden config parameter.
+    """
+    orig = getattr(config, parameter)
+    try:
+        setattr(config, parameter, value)
+    except Exception as e:
+        raise e
+    finally:
+        setattr(config, parameter, orig)
+
+
 class _config(param.Parameterized):
     """
     Holds global configuration options for Panel. The options can be
@@ -66,6 +79,11 @@ class _config(param.Parameterized):
     _embed_load_path = param.String(default=None, doc="""
         Where to load json files for embedded state.""")
 
+    _comms = param.ObjectSelector(
+        default='default', objects=['default', 'ipywidgets'], doc="""
+        Whether to render output in Jupyter with the default Jupyter
+        extension or use the jupyter_bokeh ipywidget model.""") 
+
     _inline = param.Boolean(default=True, allow_None=True, doc="""
         Whether to inline JS and CSS resources.
         If disabled, resources are loaded from CDN if one is available.""")
@@ -100,8 +118,21 @@ def embed(self):
 
     @embed.setter
     def embed(self, value):
+        validate_config(self, '_embed', value)
         self._embed_ = value
 
+    @property
+    def comms(self):
+        if self._comms_ is not None:
+            return self._comms_
+        else:
+            return os.environ.get('PANEL_COMMS', _config._comms)
+
+    @comms.setter
+    def comms(self, value):
+        validate_config(self, '_comms', value)
+        self._comms_ = value
+        
     @property
     def embed_json(self):
         if self._embed_json_ is not None:
@@ -111,6 +142,7 @@ def embed_json(self):
 
     @embed_json.setter
     def embed_json(self, value):
+        validate_config(self, '_embed_json', value)
         self._embed_json_ = value
 
     @property
@@ -122,6 +154,7 @@ def embed_json_prefix(self):
 
     @embed_json_prefix.setter
     def embed_json_prefix(self, value):
+        validate_config(self, '_embed_json_prefix', value)
         self._embed_json_prefix_ = value
 
     @property
@@ -133,6 +166,7 @@ def embed_save_path(self):
 
     @embed_save_path.setter
     def embed_save_path(self, value):
+        validate_config(self, '_embed_save_path', value)
         self._embed_save_path_ = value
 
     @property
@@ -144,6 +178,7 @@ def embed_load_path(self):
 
     @embed_load_path.setter
     def embed_load_path(self, value):
+        validate_config(self, '_embed_load_path', value)
         self._embed_load_path_ = value
 
     @property
@@ -155,6 +190,7 @@ def inline(self):
 
     @inline.setter
     def inline(self, value):
+        validate_config(self, '_inline', value)
         self._inline_ = value
 
 
diff --git a/panel/io/__init__.py b/panel/io/__init__.py
index 3918b7b67e..8f8f859002 100644
--- a/panel/io/__init__.py
+++ b/panel/io/__init__.py
@@ -8,4 +8,4 @@
 from .model import add_to_doc, remove_root, diff # noqa
 from .resources import Resources # noqa
 from .server import get_server # noqa
-from .notebook import block_comm, load_notebook, push # noqa
+from .notebook import block_comm, ipywidget, load_notebook, push # noqa
diff --git a/panel/io/notebook.py b/panel/io/notebook.py
index e77ac31413..0b9cd090e8 100644
--- a/panel/io/notebook.py
+++ b/panel/io/notebook.py
@@ -375,3 +375,16 @@ def show_embed(panel, max_states=1000, max_opts=3, json=False,
         embed_state(panel, model, doc, max_states, max_opts,
                     json, save_path, load_path)
     publish_display_data(*render_model(model))
+
+
+def ipywidget(panel):
+    """
+    Creates a root model from the Panel object and wraps it in
+    a jupyter_bokeh ipywidget BokehModel.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    Returns an ipywidget model which renders the Panel object.
+    """
+    from jupyter_bokeh import BokehModel
+    return BokehModel(panel.get_root())
diff --git a/panel/viewable.py b/panel/viewable.py
index ca9fdc6b40..6be139c759 100644
--- a/panel/viewable.py
+++ b/panel/viewable.py
@@ -277,6 +277,20 @@ def _repr_mimebundle_(self, include=None, exclude=None):
         if not loaded and 'holoviews' in sys.modules:
             import holoviews as hv
             loaded = hv.extension._loaded
+
+        if config.comms == 'ipywidgets':
+            ipywidget = self.ipywidget()
+            data = {}
+            if ipywidget._view_name is not None:
+                data['application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json'] = {
+                    'version_major': 2,
+                    'version_minor': 0,
+                    'model_id': ipywidget._model_id
+                }
+            if ipywidget._view_name is not None:
+                ipywidget._handle_displayed()
+            return data, {}
+
         if not loaded:
             self.param.warning('Displaying Panel objects in the notebook '
                                'requires the panel extension to be loaded. '
@@ -647,7 +661,7 @@ def _link_props(self, model, properties, doc, root, comm=None):
         if comm is None:
             for p in properties:
                 if isinstance(p, tuple):
-                    p, _ = p
+                    _, p = p
                 model.on_change(p, partial(self._server_change, doc))
         elif config.embed:
             pass