A method and an apparatus involves crimping a multifilament thread, wherein the thread which is produced by melt spinning is compressed to a thread plug. The thread plug is cast on the circumference of rotating processing drum for thermal treatment and is wrapped around the circumference of the processing drum with many side-by-side wraparounds. Following that, the thread plug is unravelled in an unravelling area on the circumference of the processing drum into the crimped thread which is pulled of the processing drum. To obtain a continuous and regular unravelling of the thread plug with multiple wraparounds and mutual touching of the wraparounds of the thread plug, the thread is guided at a slant from the unravelling area of the thread plug such that a growing axial space appears between the thread and the thread plug, on the circumference of the processing drum, during increasing wraparounds of the thread on the circumference of the processing drum.